Attachment
by Pyro Raptor77
Summary: Angela has been best friends with Luke since she moved to Waffle Island. When she falls in love with Chase, Luke feels rather betrayed, and so tries to find help from an unlikely source...
1. Chapter 1

I walked into the Inn, the scent of delicious foods of all sorts strong in the air. I looked around at the tables, which were messy, to say the least, and the chairs stacked on the side of the room. Jake, the owner of the Inn, was at the service counter while his wife and daughter, Colleen and Maya, cleaned the tables. Behind the bar, in the small kitchen, Yolanda was barking orders at Chase, her apprentice, of sorts. He heard the door close and looked up at me, smiled, and went back to his work. I clutched the small canvas in my hands a little tighter, my intestines tying themselves in knots.

"Hello Angela," Colleen said with a polite smile. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, thank you, I'm fine," I replied with a slight bow. "I won't be long." I smiled at her and she resumed collecting dishes. I nodded salutations to Jake and waved at Maya, who waved back enthusiastically with a large, overdone smile that didn't touch her eyes. She skipped over to me childishly.

"Are you here to try Chase's cooking?" She asked, but before I could answer she continued. "He's a great cook! I love his food! What about you? I-"

"Maya," Jake called, before I could answer her. "Get back to work. You can chit-chat after the lunch mess is cleaned up." She nodded and went back to work.

A few minutes later, Chase walked out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dish towel, which he shoved in his apron pocket. He smiled at me, which just made the knots in my gut grow tighter.

"Hey," he said. "Been busy?"

"You could say that," I replied with a smile. "I have something for you…" I lifted the canvas awkwardly, then stood next to Chase to show it to him. On it was a painting that I'd worked diligently on of him cooking in the spot where he had been only moments before, Yolanda standing beside him, watching, with her arms crossed over her chest, with the bar cutting off half of their bodies. Chase laughed cheerfully.

"You got her scowl just right!" He said, trying to replicate the face. We both laughed.

"I heard that," a voice said from my other elbow. I almost jumped and turned to see that Yolanda, a stout, often-times grouchy woman, had appeared there, and was looking at my painting. She was known for being incredibly hard to please, especially when it came to cooking. I shifted on my feet, wondering if the same was true for everything else. To my surprise, she chuckled. "Yes, I suppose that's true." She studied the painting some more, and I blushed, being quite modest about my work. "If only _he_ could be so precise in _his_ art." She looked up at Chase, who promptly looked away, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Speaking of which, would you join me in the kitchen to finish your lesson?" Chase nodded and she left. He took another look at the painting.

"I don't want to bring it in the kitchen…" he started.

"No worries, I'll bring it to your house for you," I said.

"Thanks," he said, smiling.

"It's the least I can do. After all it is your birthday." He beamed at me.

"Ah, so you did remember!"

"No, I give you presents for no reason." I rolled my eyes.

"You have before." He raised an eybrow at me skeptically.

"So?" I sighed dramatically. "Here." I pulled out a jar of marmalade, one of his favorites. He smiled again.

"Oh, you shouldn't have!" He said in a girly voice. He took it and said, "I knew there was a reason I kept you around." He looked at me quite seriously for a moment. "I have to go now, so don't get yourself into too much trouble, ok?" I blinked at him.

"Yeah…" I said. "What would I do without you?" He beamed arrogantly. "See you later." I turned to walk away, but he grabbed my arm, turned me back around and hugged me. I felt my face blush harshly.

"Oh, you know I like it," he said. "The painting, that is. Thanks." I smiled and left.

Phantom, my large black horse waited for me outside. I dropped his stirrups so that I could mount, which would take some effort, seeing as he was at least six inches taller than I was. I prepared to haul myself onto his back-

"Hey!" shouted Luke's familiar voice before I could even make the attempt. I turned to face him as he ran toward me from the Maple Lake District, smiling. "Hiya, Angie. I haven't seen you in a while!"

"Yeah, I've been kind of busy…" I said uneasily, smiling back. We chatted idly for over half an hour in the same friendly manner we always had, though my uneasiness didn't fade.

"You should come by to say hello more often. Bo and Pa aren't the greatest company." He laughed, drawing the conversation to a close. "Promise?"

"Alright…" I said with an uncertain smile.

"Cool! See you later, then!" He raced off the way he came, toward the center of the island. I sighed and leaned on Phantom's shoulder, and watched him go. Phantom turned his head around and nuzzled me. I frowned, remembering some good times I'd spent with Luke. He and I had been good friends since I moved here over a year ago. I used to work part-time at the carpentry, which was owned by Luke's father Dale, but ever since Chase moved here, I found myself working at the Inn instead. I'd gone to the Firefly Festival, which was supposed to be for couples, with Luke, though we never officially started seeing each other in a romantic sense. Even if everybody thought so. Including him. That is, until Chase had come around. It seemed that boy had turned my life upsidedown. Everyone had thought that Luke and I were sure to get married, seeing as we were always near eachother, playing, working, eating, whatever. Attached at the hip, as they liked to say. Perhaps I would have married Luke, I thought, feeling color spread across my face, if Chase hadn't shown up. It was like love at first sight for me.

My thoughts were broken when Phantom lifted his head and perked his ears toward Maple Lake. I looked up and saw Luke running back at me again. He reached me panting slightly.

"I almost forgot," he breathed, blushing. "I have something for you!" I pushed off of Phantom, and he straightened up, head level with mine, his right ear on me and his left on Luke. He stomped a white-feathered foot impatiently, thinking he'd already stood around while we talked for long enough. Luke paid little attention as he rummaged through his bag and pulled something out. It was a gold pendent set with a ruby on a gold chain, and engraved in the ruby was almost a perfect replica of Phantom. It was beautiful.

"Oh, Luke!" I cried, happy and exasperated at the same time. "It must've cost a fortune!"

"Nah," he said, smiling. "Don't worry about it. Do you like it?"

"I do," I said, blushing at the awkwardness of my words.

"Here, let me put it on for you." I turned around and he put it on, his calloused hands brushing on my neck unnecessarily. He clasped it with little difficulty, and I turned back around, smiling despite myself. I was slightly frustrated. I had to get this over with.

"Luke, I…" I felt tears well up in my eyes. I fought them hard. "Thank you." I hugged him. I, once again, had failed to tell him I didn't feel the same. He liked me. A lot. But he was my best friend and I didn't want to hurt him. And so, I didn't. Even though I felt that I should.

"Um…" He said, after I released him. "You want help mounting?"

"Yeah, sure," I replied. He helped me up onto my horse and bid me farewell. I sighed and looked back at the inn. Chase looked at me through the window, quirking an eyebrow. He grinned and wiggled them at me. He, too, thought Luke and I were an item. I'd been trying to get people to see that we weren't for over a season now, but the rumors spread, and I had only myself to blame. I'd have to break it to Luke if it was going to stop. And then I could make my move on Chase.

I scowled and headed to Chase's house, lost in my thoughts.

**Author's Note: **Yeah... so that's my first Fanfic. Ever. I think it sounds a bit corny at the moment, but hopefully the plot will develop as I go on. Review's appreciated, and I could use a little advice. Thanks in advance. XD


	2. Chapter 2

I arrived at Chase's house in a few minutes, seeing as it wasn't far from the inn. It was also quite close to my house and I passed it every day when I went to town. I dismounted gracefully, with my knees incredibly bent just to absorb the shock of falling from nearly six feet high. I pulled up my stirrups and patted Phantom on the shoulder as he started to graze.

"Stay out of Chase's garden or he'll kill me," I mumbled to him as I walked by. He flicked an ear at me, only to resume chewing on grass. I sighed and walked into the house.

Chase's house was immaculate, and sometimes I thought it was because he was OCD, but then again, he did cook, and it would just be wrong to have an unsanitary cooking environment, right? Right. I looked around, debating where I should put the painting. I wandered into his bedroom and sat on his bed, placing the painting on his nightstand. I stifled a yawn, realizing how tired I was. I lay down unintentionally, willing myself to get up, but the bed was just too comfortable. I could smell Chase strongly in his bed, a smell that reminded me of fruits and vegetables, and I didn't have time to think about anything else before I was out like a light.

_I was on my way to the Inn, going to have lunch like I did every Saturday. It was early winter, but it was already snowing, which was why I was walking instead of taking my horse. I listened to my feet crunch in the snow, hugging myself to keep warm. I hated winter. Not only did crops not grow as well, but the animals couldn't go out as often, I got sick more often, and it was just cold. I reached the door only to hear the muffled sounds of some commotion going on inside. I paused and listened. _

"_Oh, I haven't seen you in awhile! How have you been?" Colleen said. _

"_Fine, I guess," a light tenor voice said. "I suppose everything's been well here, as well?"_

"_Oh, yes, we've settled in quite nicely." I could almost see Colleen smiling at whoever the man was. "Maya is upstairs…" _

"_I don't really care where Maya is," the other voice said. I frowned, thinking that was an awfully rude thing to say. "I'm looking for Yolanda." I was indecisive about whether I should go in and possibly interrupt something, but the cold was getting too me, so I opened the door loudly, and hurried inside in time to see a feminine-looking hand close the kitchen door. I walked over to the counter where Colleen stood, smiling at me. _

"_Hello," she said. "I'll run and get your lunch. The usual, right?" I nodded. She dashed into the kitchen and I sat at the table nearest to me, not wanting to be anywhere near the door. It was warm in here due to all the cooking and I didn't want that to be ruined if someone opened the door. Colleen returned with my lunch, throwing in a free hot chocolate, and I thanked her. _

_After I finished my lunch and paid for it, sipping on my hot chocolate as I prepared to leave, Yolanda came through the kitchen doors with what looked like herb fish and sat down. She didn't seem to notice me as she began gobbling down the small dish. A few seconds after she sat down, the kitchen door opened again and a boy my age walked out, drying his hands on a dish towel before shoving it in his apron pocket. _

_I _had_ been about to leave, but the sight of him stopped me in my tracks. He was, in a word, gorgeous. He had messy, strawberry blonde hair, bobby pinned on the right to keep it out of his face. His purple eyes watched Yolanda intently as he crossed his arms over his chest. His delicate features seemed to be anxious, and his light skin indicated that he didn't spend much time outside. I thought I saw him glance at me, so I huddled back in the corner and sat back down. It must've been my imagination, for when I looked back up he was still intent on Yolanda, raising an eyebrow as she finished her dish. _

"_Well," she started. "It was pretty good overall, but you rely on your spices too much." She went on for a few minutes, boring me with the cooking terms, and I found out that the boy was an aspiring chef here to study under Yolanda. She rose and went back to the kitchen, leaving him standing there thoughtfully. I rose to leave again, handing my mug to Colleen and thanking her. He turned to me suddenly. _

"_Hey," he said cheerfully. "I'm Chase. I take it you know I'm going to be working here?"_

"_I gathered," I replied, smiling shyly. "I'm Angela, the new farmer."_

"_So I've heard," he said, extending a hand to me which I took and shook lightly. "See you around then?"_

"_Yeah, see ya." I turned and left out into the cold, though the increased amount of blood flow in my face kept me a little warmer as I headed back home._

I woke with a start to see a confused Chase leaning over in front of me, his face a few feet in front of mine. I yawned and rolled onto my back looking up at the clock.

"Goddess," I snarled. It was nearly one o'clock in the morning. "Sorry, Chase. I-"

"No worries," he laughed. "I understand that you work too much and eat too little. A girl's gotta sleep when a girl's gotta sleep, right?" I knew he was making fun of me, but I ignored him and crossed through the living room toward the door.

"You can just stay here if you want," he called after me. I froze. Maybe he liked me, after all? I felt my face warm to think about it, but dismissed it after thinking of the face he gave me when Luke had given me the pendent. He stepped into the doorway of his bedroom in a night shirt and pajama pants, his bobby pins still in his hair. I knew he had just returned from work at the bar, where he served dinner for those few in our town who wanted to pull an all-nighter, or for those who just didn't feel like cooking, or, like me, just didn't know how to cook. At least, not well enough to live on every day. Ugh.

"Um, ok," I said finally. "Thanks."

"I took your saddle and stuff off of your horse. It's outside near the front door," he replied dismissively. He threw a shirt and shorts at me and I went into the bathroom to change.

_What is this boy up to? _I thought with a sigh. I thought it seemed like he was just being friendly so I wouldn't have to go home this late in my incredibly tired state, but something in my mind just wanted it to be more than that. My logical side fought it down and I stepped out of the bathroom, feeling utterly ridiculous in Chase's overly-large shirt and shorts, which I'd had to roll up at the waist to keep them from sliding down. Chase couldn't refrain from laughing at me.

"Well, this birthday just keeps getting better and better!" He said. "If only I had a camera…" I shot him a glare as I plopped down very ungracefully on the couch. He stopped laughing abruptly and looked at me as if I'd smacked him. "What are you doing?" he said.

"Going back to sleep," I replied, settling down. He jerked me back up, much to my agitation.

"Not there you aren't! What kind of gentleman would I be if I made you sleep on the couch?"

I was about to snap back with a sarcastic comment when I realized the implications of that statement. I hesitated for only a moment before saying sarcastically:

"So, what, am I supposed to share a bed with you?"

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "No, you take my bed, I'll take the couch." He chuckled quietly as he dug in his closet and pulled out an extra blanket and threw it on the couch while I stood there, feeling stupid for thinking what I had. He insisted on 'escorting' me to his room before he went to bed, and I made myself comfortable after I said goodnight and turned off the blinding lamp next to his bed. I heard the soft click of the bedroom door closing before I drifted back into my dreams.

**Author's note:** Well, I haven't really decided whether or not I like this chapter yet… Reviews are appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up and immediately looked at the clock, already knowing I'd woken up late. 10 o'clock. I scowled and got up, stretching my back. I walked into the living room uncertainly, knowing that Phantom would be angry with me and that my animals were still outside from yesterday. _At least I don't have to feed them, _I thought, irritated at myself.

"I take it you don't get up this late every morning?" Chase said from the kitchen. I grunted and yawned in reply. "Breakfast is on the table." I was shocked at this, though I didn't really know why. He _was_ an aspiring chef, right? Why _wouldn't_ he make breakfast? I guess I never pictured him making it for _me_. I reminded myself that we were just friends and plopped down at the table, mumbling thanks to him. Chase whistled as he washed dishes from his own breakfast. A few minutes passed in silence before he glanced at me.

"Good morning to you too," he said grumpily, imitating what must've been the irritable mood I appeared to be in. I suppressed a chuckle. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Nice hair."

I blushed, knowing fully well what my hair looked like in the morning. Narrowing my eyes at him, I stood and went back into his room and changed quickly into my clothes, which I found had been washed, and combed through my hair with my fingers. I hurried out the door after thanking Chase and telling him I had to take care of my animals. He only looked a little put out, but I figured he was kidding with me. I tacked up Phantom and rode him the short distance to my house.

As suspected, my animals were still outside, and they made all sorts of noise as I approached. I apologized to Phantom and patted him, then let him out to graze some more. I took care of the animals and went to the falls, where I usually spent my time to think. I pulled out my fishing pole and cast it, watching the bobber go up and down where it landed, sending little ripples around it. I realized that it'd been awhile since I'd been here, even though it was literally right next to my house. It really was beautiful, with the small river that was fed by a waterfall, which ran from somewhere in the mountains up above me. The springs were a short hike from here and always left me feeling rejuvenated. I guessed I had built up some stamina since I'd moved here, though, like Chase had said, I didn't really take care of myself well. What was I supposed to do? I couldn't afford to buy lunch every day, and I didn't have enough produce or the real potential to get any on my still petite farm, to be polite. Not to mention my mediocre cooking skills.

No fish were biting, so I reeled my line in and headed back to my farm. I frowned looking over my small herd of animals grazing in the field. There was a single cow, a sheep, a goat, an ostrich, four chickens, a silkworm (in the chicken coop) and Phantom, who I knew I had only because my mother had given him to me. I bit my lip, thinking of her, but pushed the thoughts out of my mind and headed into town. I wandered about aimlessly, thinking how I could increase income without spending a lot of money. I already had an egg on the incubator, waiting for another chicken to hatch, and I was saving up for what the residents on the island innocently called 'miracle potion' for my cow, which was my single largest source of income, followed by my goat. I was snapped from my thoughts when I ran into someone.

"Oof!" I grunted, staggering backwards. I looked up to see Owen look over his shoulder inquisitively. He hadn't moved when I ran into him; but then, he was a foot taller than me and probably twice my weight. He turned around smiling at me, slinging his ginormous hammer over his shoulder as if it weighed nothing. I smiled sheepishly.

"Hey!" he said happily. "You alright?"

"Yeah," I replied. "Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going." I looked around the hulk of a man in front of me and saw Calvin, Phoebe, and Julius standing behind him, all with hammers in their hands or nearby. They were chatting among themselves quietly while Chloe ran around chasing butterflies happily.

"We're all taking a trip into the mine," he explained. "Do you want to come?" I agreed before I really knew what I was doing, probably thinking this would get my mind off of things, and soon Julius was by my side, chatting away about fashion and the smithing he intended to do with the ore he found. We all made our way deep into the mine, taking a break every ten floors or so, watchful of pitfalls and other such dangers. Owen talked to everyone and no one in particular while Chloe chose rocks for him to smash, but he didn't care because Chloe seemed to be enjoying herself. Phoebe and Calvin talked quietly by themselves mostly, examining what they found closely but more involved in each other's company than in anything else. Julius continued talking my ear off, and I tried hard to pay attention but really the man talked way too much. Absently I hammered away at the rocks, collecting as many ores and wonderfulls I could find.

"We made it, we made it!" Chloe exclaimed, jumping up and down. She looked around in wonder at the Underground Lake. Julius had even stopped talking and looked around the lake. Owen walked over and placed his hammer on the ground as gently as if it'd been a small child, then cupped his hands in the water and took a drink. Soon enough, we all had joined him, not realizing how thirsty we were until then, though the water tasted like metals.

"It's hot," I pointed out, though it was obvious. In reply, Chloe ran into the lake, not caring that she was in her clothes, not even bothering to kick off her shoes beforehand. She splashed me and I laughed, following her in. Soon enough we were all playing in the lake, except Julius.

"I certainly can't ruin _these_ clothes!" he protested.

"Well you should've thought about that before wearing them into a mine!" I said back. He glared at me and scowled, refusing to get in the water and standing far out of our reach. We paid no mind as we continued playing like children in the underground lake.

It wasn't until late that we emerged from the mine, our clothes dripping, making us resemble drowned rats. We headed to Ramsey's, where he invited us to stay for dinner, after scolding Owen for keeping Chloe out this late, and we left our ores and wonderfulls to be refined by Mira in the morning, but Julius left early, muttering something about beauty sleep. After eating some kind of fish for dinner I left as well, thanking Ramsey for dinner and everyone else for a great day.

It wasn't until I was walking out the door and passed the large pile of ores and such from the mine that I realized that, not only had this expedition relieved some of my stress, but it would be an awesome source of income tomorrow, after my treasures were refined. The thought made my smile widen and I headed home, whistling to myself and practically dancing down the path, reflecting on the amazing day I'd had.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: **Alright, so you already know what Angela and Chase's relationship is like, and now you're about to find out about Angela and Luke's. I don't really like this chapter much, but hey, I need to do these few first chapters that lack a plot so that it will make more sense later on. Don't stray too far-I plan on this getting interesting in a few chapters.

Oh, and sorry about not updating yesterday. I was busy with school and stuff.

Anyways, enough of my ramblings. On with the show!

I wiped the sweat from my brow after chopping down a tree that had grown too close to my field, a few weeks after I'd gone on the mining trip. By now I was making a fairly decent amount of money, because I took trips to the mine at least every other day. Most of the time there was someone else there to accompany me, which was great because when I went by myself I never made it very far. Whenever I went mining I always raked in loads of gold, which I usually spent within the week, buying feed or expanding the farm. My coop was expanded and I had 6 chickens now, though one was still a chick. My cow was now pregnant, and though she ate more and needed more attention than normal, having another cow would definitely improve my income. There were rows of different crops planted in my small field, and they were growing nicely. It was now the middle of summer, the most bountiful of the seasons for a farmer like me. I smiled as I had to admit to myself that things were looking up.

Luke still didn't know that I didn't like him, but I wasn't really in a hurry to tell him, either. I guess I was afraid it would ruin our friendship or something. I went and saw him occasionally, and because of my expansions he was at my farm a lot. He and Bo were hard workers and could finish almost any job in two days or less, and they were currently working on expanding my barn while I did work on my farm.

"Can we have a break yet?" Luke called down from the roof of my barn. "It's really hot out here!"

"You complain too much!" Dale yelled irritably back up at him. "Angie's been out here working longer than you have, and she hasn't said a word about it!" I chuckled, knowing how much Luke hated being compared to anyone, _especially_ a girl, and _especially_ by his father. He was quite competitive, which was probably why he was a much better carpenter than Bo, despite his younger age. Luke glared at me from the roof, though he couldn't hide his smile, and he went back to work, silently challenging me. I accepted.

Dale headed back to the carpentry to man the store while I started gathering the remnants of the fallen tree, chopping the large trunk into logs to be used for later constructions. Without looking I knew Luke was keeping his eye on me, trying to get his work done as quickly and efficiently as possible. I snorted, realizing that if he kept this up my barn would be a mess because he wasn't paying attention, so I slowed down, eventually pretending that I needed a break. Funny how _I_ was the one acting as the gentleman in this situation, I thought, though I knew that Luke knew very little of manners, and he only used that much when his father was around.

I leaned against my axe for a moment, then went to my well and drew some water. It wasn't the best tasting water in the world, but if it was good enough for my animals then it was good enough for me. I gulped down quite a bit of the foul-smelling water before heading inside to get some glasses for Bo and Luke. Of course I wouldn't make _them_ drink the well water, so I filled their glasses with spring water I had bought in town for this purpose. After all, I hadn't had anything except a small house when I moved here, so I hired them an awful lot.

I went back outside with the glasses in hand to find that Luke had already climbed down from the roof, and his axe was lying on the ground next to him as he cradled his hand.

"Ow!" Luke said as Bo took his hand to examine it. "You don't have to be so rough, you know!"

"Well, I'm not a doctor," Bo said dismissively. Bo was notorious for his patience and wasn't easily flustered. He especially had a lot of patience with Luke, who had the tendency to grate the nerves of a person. Bo and Luke were like brothers, and Bo would be the first one to tell you so. "That's a really big splinter." Luke took his hand away.

"Like I didn't _know_ that already!" Luke said indignantly. He eyed his hand and tried to pry the splinter out, to no avail. He grimaced and pulled harder, gritting his teeth. I saw blood start to seep through his palm where the splinter had embedded itself. I put the glasses of water on my shipping bin and walked over.

"Don't do it like that," I said calmly, examining the 'splinter', if one could even call it that. It was at least a few inches long with one end in his palm, though, thankfully, it was diagonal, otherwise it would've probably needed to be removed surgically. I could see the inch and a half or so that went through his skin, probably a full centimeter deep. I frowned. "You'll just make it fall apart in your skin and smaller ones will catch there." He looked up at me. "Trust me; it's a _pain_ to get those out." He paled a little at the thought.

"So… what do I do?" he asked. I motioned for him to follow me and he came in my small house. I brought him over to the kitchen and pulled out a small knife. "Wh-What are you doing with that?"

"Cutting out the splinter," I replied calmly. He obviously didn't like the idea of me sticking a sharp object into his skin, but I doubted he wanted to pay the clinic or walk all the way there for a _splinter_, of all things. "My dad was good at these kinds of things, so don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Besides, I've had to do this plenty of times for myself since I moved here." I used the knife to cut the part that was sticking out, as it would only get in the way, and left about a centimeter sticking out of his skin. "When I lived on my dad's farm, I used to get into everything. My dad got irritated at me for getting so many splinters so I learned how to take them out myself. He was a man who you didn't want getting impatient with you." I paused, remembering my father, probably wearing a very thoughtful expression. "He had a temper, but he knew how to handle himself in almost any situation." I smiled as I put the knife gently at the base of the splinter and slit open the top layer of skin, which was thick and calloused, and pulled the skin to the side. Luke watched in horror, so I kept talking to keep his mind off of it. "He taught me a lot about farming."

"Is that why you're so good at it?" Luke said absently. He glanced up at me and I could tell it was a sincere comment. I continued cutting the top layer of skin so I could get to the thick splinter in the boy's palm and laughed.

"I'm really not that great at farming. It takes me forever to water my crops, till the fields, feed the animals… but I'm getting better." I started tugging at the splinter, careful not to let the edges get caught in Luke's skin.

"But if you were raised on a farm, shouldn't you be good at it?" Luke said. I frowned, still pulling at the deeply-embedded splinter.

"I never wanted to be a farmer," I admitted. I glanced up to see he was raising one blue eyebrow at me. "I mean, it's not that I don't like it, but I wanted to be independent. I was… a little rebellious. I didn't want to follow in my family's footsteps." I laughed. "Funny how things worked out."

"What do you mean?" Luke questioned, flinching a little as I tugged the last bit out, and his hand started bleeding again.

"There. Now we can wrap it up and you can get back to work."

"Thanks," Luke said. There was a pause. "Well, what did you mean?" I looked up at him with my eyebrows raised.

"Well, my sister's a farmer." He nodded, seeming unsurprised that we all carried on the 'family business'.

"What did you want to be when you were younger?" He questioned. I finished wrapping is hand and flushed, turning my back on him and heading for the door. He followed.

"I wanted to be an actress."

Apparently my revelation to Luke had been a startling one, because he was silent for a moment, and without looking I could tell he was looking me over, his amber eyes sweeping over my small frame and slightly boyish figure, and my leanly muscled arms and legs; completely un-actress-like in every way. He laughed. I turned and looked at him with one eyebrow raised and folded my arms over my chest.

"Are you… are you serious?" he said between bouts of laughter. I scowled and looked at him in a way that practically screamed "I'm dead serious!" at him. He tried to control his laughter, now that he knew that I wasn't kidding, but it was obvious that he wouldn't be able to stop anytime soon. I rolled my eyes, choosing not to say anything, and I waited for him to explain himself.

"I mean, I could see you as it artist, or maybe a singer," he started, his laughter under control for the moment. "But an _actress?_" He laughed again, wiping a tear from his eye.

"What's so funny about me wanting to be an actress?" I asked angrily. I turned and continued walking, going to where I'd left the water glasses before.

"Well," he began, totally straight faced, minus the smile that seemed to never leave his lips, running to catch up to me. "It really just… isn't you, I guess." He looked up to the sky, his good hand rubbing his chin. I could tell I was about to be indulged in one of Luke's few deep thoughts.

"What do you mean?" I asked, raising an eyebrow for what seemed like the millionth time that day.

"I mean, you're so _nice_," he stated, obviously searching for words. "And humble. Most of the time, anyways." I smirked. "And you're just so _honest_ with people. I can't picture you pretending to be someone else." I looked at him, the picture of seriousness as he continued grasping for words. "I just can't picture you in the city, surrounded by all the lights and people, and all the noise. I can't understand why you'd give up the peace and quiet and… this"-he gestured at my farm-"for fame and fortune." Thinking about it, I couldn't picture myself like that either. "I think it would have made you a different person, and I'm sure I like who you are now better than who you could've been in the city." He blushed, but continued smiling at me, as always.

"Well, I _was_ raised on a farm, you know," I started, trying to explain myself. "I wanted to get away." I realized that this wasn't a good explanation; not for Luke, and not for myself. I had never been embarrassed of the old dream that I'd had, but now, telling Luke about it and hearing how ridiculous he thought it was, I couldn't help but feel that way now.

"You've never told anyone that before, have you?" Funny how he could read my mind like that after knowing me for barely over a year. I shook my head in answer, refusing to meet his eyes. We stopped walking at the shipping bin and I handed him one of the glasses of water. He guzzled it down and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then put his good hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone that you wanted to be an _actress!_" he laughed again, the seriousness of the moment gone. Bo looked down at us from the roof, but just shook his head and went back to work. "'But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?'" Luke added, making ginormous hand gestures and looking at me like he adored me. Like _that_ could've been hard. He didn't even have to _act _to look at me like that.

"Why you little…" I said, my face red in embarrassment. I tackled Luke to the ground, which was fairly simple seeing as he was doubled over laughing, and in a few seconds we were rolling around like children in the dirt, narrowly avoiding crushing my crops, throwing insults at each other the whole time.

Soon a pair of large boots appeared near my head, and I looked up to see Dale, scowling, and he lifted his son off of me with one bear-paw of a hand and a tree-trunk arm. He sighed and shook his head, and then he sent Luke on his way with little scolding. Luke looked back over his shoulder at me, flashing me a broad grin, which I returned heartily before brushing myself off and running my fingers through my messy hair. Dale looked like he was going to say something to me, but instead sighed and went back to the carpentry. I picked up my axe and continued to work on my stump.

"It is the east, and Juliet is the sun…" I looked up and saw Luke on the roof, laughing like a madman.

**Author's note: **So the ending isn't all that great, but still, I think I like this chapter. I think. Reviews appreciated as always!


	5. Chapter 5

It was not even a week after the 'incident' with Luke (who, when I asked how he knew Shakespeare, told me "doesn't everybody?") that I got a knock at my door at seven thirty in the morning. I had just crawled out of bed myself, and I threw on some clothes, telling whoever it was to wait a minute. I grouchily wiped the sleep out of my eyes and shuffled over to the door. I opened it to see Chase, of all people, leaning against my mailbox. He smiled at me, and I swear my heart stopped beating as I realized that I hadn't brushed my hair yet, let alone my teeth. _What's he doing here?_ I thought, running my fingers through my hair in a last-ditch attempt to look presentable. My face flushed in embarrassment and I gave him a small smile and waved.

"Good morning!" he said cheerfully. "You always get up this late?" He shot me an innocent smile, though his sarcasm was apparent to both of us.

"No," I answered, quite seriously. "What's up?"

"I just came by to see if you wanted help on the farm," he stated, maintaining his smile. I thought I saw a bit of pink tinge his cheeks, but I couldn't really tell so I dismissed the thought.

"Ok! Ahem… ok, sure," I complied, trying not to sound too eager and failing miserably. "Come in? I still haven't had breakfast-"

"I'll make it!" Chase said, dashing past me into my house. Suddenly I was aware that my house was a wreck, with dishes piled in the sink, my art supplies scattered all over a small table in the corner, a box of sketchbooks under the table (which were unorganized and overflowing from the box), and books laying haphazardly all over my bookshelf, not one of them really standing straight up. My toolbox didn't close all the way, and the only reason my dresser did was because most of my clothes were in a heap on my floor next to my bed. Chase had stopped in his tracks when he saw the mess, being the neat-freak that he was, and turned and looked at me, his mouth agape and eyes wide in amazement.

"Did a _typhoon_ come through here?!" he asked, crossing his arms. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Wow, Angie, no wonder…" He looked around again, and then made his way to my kitchen, which was extremely small. "Well, lets get to work on these dishes so we can actually make breakfast."

------

By the time we finished eating it was nearly nine. Chase had made omelets, seeing as eggs and milk were the most abundant foods I had in my house. I was given a short lecture on how eating the same food every day wasn't good for me, but other than that we just talked idly about pointless subjects, as always. When we finished Chase stretched casually before cleaning up our dishes.

"How about this," he started. "I'll stay in here and clean up your… um… house, and you do the farm work." He smiled at me. "We'll both be in our elements." He added dramatically, his eyes sparkling.

"Sure," I replied, a little disappointed that I wouldn't get to spend more time with him, but I left and took care of the farm like it was no different than any day, or, at least, I tried to. I thought about him the whole time, even more so than usual, and nearly tripped over my chickens multiple times, ran into my pregnant cow, bowled over my goat, and tried to feed my horse a tomato. With all these mishaps, I finished my work late, and when I returned to my spotless house, I found Chase recumbent on my bed, laying on his back and examining one of my sketchbooks. The box they had been in was right next to him, and next to it were a few of my more recent sketchbooks. Glancing at the cover of the one he was looking at, I could tell it was one of my older ones. I went to my dresser and threw my gloves on top of it, then sat down on the bed next to him. He seemed completely absorbed in the sketchbook as he flipped through and didn't say a word to me for a few minutes.

"Who's that?" He finally said, sitting up and swinging his legs down over the side of the bed. I had kind of zoned, and he startled me with his sudden movement. I wondered briefly if he had noticed me staring at him…

"That's my family," I said. "Don't you have one?" I said sarcastically.

"No," he said, and I could tell he was serious. Oops. "My parents died a long time ago. I don't even remember them." I was about to say sorry but he continued talking. "The people at the inn are my family now." I cleared my throat uncomfortably.

"Well… my parents are dead, too," I said quietly. "So is Claire, my sister. The blonde one." I explained, pointing at her in my drawing.

"What happened?" he asked. I didn't look at him, for once, not wanting to talk about this touchy subject. He seemed genuinely concerned, though, and the butterflies that fluttered in my stomach urged me to continue.

"My dad died in a crash," I started. "And Mom couldn't handle him being gone. It was too much for her, and she got sick and died of a broken heart, I guess. The doctors said that there was nothing they could do because she had lost her will to live." Chase put an arm around me as I felt the tears well up in my eyes, and I flushed at the gesture despite myself. "Claire died a few years ago, after giving birth…She was practically my best friend, we were inseparable…" The tears fell, running down my cheeks and I put my face in my hands, struggling to fight back the sobs. Chase said nothing, but put the sketchbook down on his lap and wrapped me in a comforting hug. I pulled away after a moment and mumbled apologies, which Chase waved away with one hand. He picked up the sketchbook again and turned the page, but I had turned away so I could recompose myself.

"And what have we here?" he said in an amused tone, and I couldn't help but turn and see what his evil smirk was all about. I blushed, humiliated, when I saw. He laughed at my expression. On the page was me, eighteen years old in a beautiful dress, standing next to a huge, muscular and dark-skinned Native-American looking guy with his arm around my shoulders, dressed in a tux. "Prom?"

"Yeah," I mumbled. I had completely forgotten my sadness faced with this embarrassment, which, I realized, had been Chase's intent. I was grateful but refused to show it, getting up and busying myself with something else.

"Who is the lucky fellow?" he pried sarcastically, and I felt my blush deepen.

"His name's Cody." I fumbled with my toolbox, not facing Chase, hiding my face, which felt like it would catch fire at any moment. "He's an artist in my hometown, Forget-Me-Not Valley..."

"Heheh… Angie and Cody, sitting in a tree," he sang, doing a little dance from where he sat. "K-I-S-S-I—ouch!" I had thrown a random object at him, hitting him squarely in the head.

"Shut up!" I yelled, but I couldn't hide my smile. He threw the empty CD case back at me, and I laughed to myself. I put it back where I'd found it and went to the kitchen, digging through everything to see where Chase had put all my stuff. I heard him looking through my pictures, snickering at some of them, but I was still too embarrassed to join him.

He closed the sketch book, put it in the box, and picked up one off the top of the pile on the floor. It had a red cover on it, and it was fairly new looking. I thought nothing of it for a moment, but after he turned a few pages I remembered-

_Oh my goddess._

I could _not_ let him look through that one. I dashed across the house, which was small, but it was too late. He looked up at me with an eyebrow quirked, smiling devilishly, and I stopped in my tracks, frozen in embarrassment, a few feet from where sat on my bed.

_Crap_, I thought.

"What's this all about?" he said, smirking, holding up a rough sketch for me to see, as if I didn't already know what would be there; me and Chase, kissing on the beach, the sunset over the ocean in the background. I opened my mouth to explain myself, but nothing came to mind, so I closed it again, fighting back the urge to run out of the house in humiliation. I was red enough to make my own light, but I couldn't help but feel a little satisfaction at the little pink circles that had appeared on Chase's cheeks. He busted out laughing, unable to hold it in any more. He doubled over on my bed, clutching at his sides. I walked over and snatched up the book indignantly, scowling at how stupid I was, thinking I would never get my chance now, seeing as my cover was blown. I closed the book and threw it in the box with the others and picked it up, putting it back under my art table. He had to think I was so immature, imagining things like that, let alone putting them down on paper in the form of a drawing, and that-

"So," he said, now under control of his laughter (mostly). "You doing anything tomorrow night?" I was shocked. I looked up at him with wide eyes, my mouth slightly agape, but I caught myself and tried to remember I was mad at him for laughing at me.

"No, why?" I asked irritably. Was he toying with my emotions? If he was, I'd kill him!

"You don't even remember what tomorrow is, do you?" he looked at me with an eyebrow raised, frowning slightly. I looked at him quizzically and shook my head. "It's the Firefly Festival, and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me."


	6. Chapter 6

I swear my jaw must've hit the floor.

_Did I just hear that right?_

_Chase_ had just asked _me_ to the Firefly Festival? Sure, I'd always _wanted_ it to happen, but I never thought it would. My brain momentarily wouldn't function. I waited for Chase to burst out laughing at me, saying he was kidding, but he didn't.

"What?" I finally said unintelligently. He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head at me like a puppy, which only made me blush more at his cuteness. He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I said do you want to go to the Firefly Festival with me?" he asked again. My knees went weak as my mind finally caught up. _Wait,_ I thought. _What if he only wants to go as friends, like Luke and I did last year? _My heart fell at the thought, but continued to pump blood wildly through my body. I tried to act normal and stood up straight, running my fingers through my hair. I frowned, remembering the year before.

_It was getting late, and the fireflies were finally departing. The night seemed awfully dark without their flickering yellow lights. Luke, however was unfazed, and was so joyous he might as well have created his own light. _

"_That was fun!" Luke said, helping me to my feet. "I hope we can do this again next year!"_

"Um, yeah…" I said softly, having not really exited my reverie. Chase raised both of his eyebrows, as if asking me if I really meant it, snapping me back to reality and making me realize that he was serious. "Yes!" The excitement was finally hitting me, and his smile made my heart melt, but I remembered that he might only want to go as friends, so I coughed and toned it down a bit. "I mean, yes, that'd be very nice." Chase laughed as he stood up and hugged me, a warm sensation filling my entire body. He was nearly a full head taller than me, so my face ended up in his chest, and I noticed, with surprise and delight, that his heart was beating a tad faster than what I thought would have been normal. I hugged him back, forcing down the urge to nuzzle into him, breathing deeply so that maybe his scent would last me forever when he let go. It didn't.

"Ok, awesome, I'll meet you there tomorrow at seven," he said, smiling. "Don't be late!"

"Oh, like I'm the one who would be late," I said, trying to sound normal for once. "I live right next to the falls!" He rolled his eyes and looked at the clock.

"I should be going. I don't want to be late for work." He hugged me briefly again before saying goodbye, and I watched him walk to the Maple Lake District-and out of earshot- before I closed the door and squealed in delight.

"I've got a date with Cha-ase, I've got a date with Cha-ase!" I sang happily to myself. Then I stopped my little happy dance when I came to a sudden realization.

"What am I going to wear?!" I shouted as I ran to my dresser to find something nice.

Not surprisingly, there wasn't anything. I still had my old prom dress, but that would be too fancy, as would the dress that I had worn to both of my sisters' weddings. I frowned, wondering where I could get something in such a short period of time. Then I thought about the tailor's shop, where my friend Luna worked. I pulled on my boots quickly and, in my state of eagerness, couldn't help but shout "To the Tailor's!" before dashing out the door and into town.

---

I barged into the tailor's at high speed, panting, because I had run the whole way, forgetting completely that I had a horse and an ostrich that would've carried me much quicker.

"Angie, is everything ok?" Shelley said when I entered. I nodded. "I'll go get you some tea."

"Luna!" I said as she entered the room. She looked at me quizzically, apparently not knowing what to say.

"Hi, Angie," she said finally. "What are you doing here?" She seemed kind of rude, but I knew she wasn't trying to be, so I brushed it off. I never came here unless I was coming to say hi, but I suppose my panting and excited attitude gave me away. I waved her over to me and told her what happened with Chase, minus the part about him finding my drawing... I blushed at the thought.

"Really?" she said when I finished. "Maya's gonna be ticked." I nodded in agreement. "So you need a dress, huh?" She looked me up and down, trying to decide what would look good on me, I guess, and then sighed. "By tomorrow." I nodded, even though she already knew that and it had been a statement, not a question. She walked behind the counter and I followed, and she picked up a small notebook. She opened it, told me to stand still, and started sketching in it.

She showed it to me after she finished, a simple yet elegant sundress that was tight around the waist with a big bow on the back, and that started drifting away from the figure she'd drawn at the hips, ending just above the knee. In the drawing it looked perfect, but…

"Can you do this?" I asked hopefully. She raised both eyebrows at me skeptically.

"No," she said. My spirits sank. "But Candace can." I was elated again in an instant, barely containing myself. "I'll just need to take your measurements." I frowned slightly, but it'd be worth it if the dress came out right. I mean, it was my first date with _Chase_. I had to show _some_ class, you know? "And we can't do it for free you know." I nearly slapped myself in the forehead. Duh! I hadn't thought about that… luckily, I'd saved up some money ever since my barn got finished, but I was going to use that to expand my house…

"How much?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well normally, it would cost 5000G, but…" _5000G!_ I thought, _that's almost as much as the expansion on my house! _"But because you're my friend… 3000, if you promise to come buy yourself some clothes every once in awhile. I mean, seriously, have you _seen_ what you wear? Sheesh! How can you-"

"Alright, alright! I promise!" I said, rolling my eyes. She smiled and grabbed my wrist, dragging me into the back of the building where she lived with her grandma and sister, Candace. Candace was sitting at the table, reading, but she looked up at me when Luna dragged me into the room. She blushed.

"Oh… um… h-hi…" she mumbled. She really just wasn't a people person, poor girl. Socially awkward didn't begin to describe her.

"Hey," I said with a smile, trying to make her feel more comfortable. "How's it going?" She shrugged and started rubbing her arm nervously.

"Well, I… uh… fine…" she said. Luna rolled her eyes and sighed, exasperated, but mercifully ended the awkward exchange.

"Candace, I have something for you to make. By tomorrow at…" she thought for a moment. "Five, at the latest."

"Luna, what did I tell you about having your sister make clothes for you?" Shelley interrupted, bringing tea to the table from the kitchen.

"It's not for me!" Luna cried, putting her hands on her hips, looking rather childish, even for her. "It's for Angie… she finally got a date with Chase!" Luna smiled and I blushed, resisting the urge to hit her for blurting out such top-secret information, and I averted my eyes, admiring the walls like they were works of art.

"Isn't that sweet?" Shelley said with a smile, and then she thankfully changed the subject. "Tea, anyone?" We all accepted and gathered around the small table, and Luna talked on and on and on about what my dress would look like. Candace grew pale, thinking about all the work Luna was describing, and I felt bad for a moment before remembering that I was paying a good amount of gold for this. Unfortunately, Luna wasn't that great at sewing or anything of that sort, but she did have people skills when she wanted to nab a sale. That wouldn't help Candace out any, though, and she knew this quite well, but we all knew that Luna did have style…

"I'll go pick out some fabric!" Luna exclaimed running back into the shop, leaving me with Shelley and Candace by myself. All of a sudden I was feeling very awkward, and I had just opened my mouth to fill the silence when Shelley stood, smiling at me.

"Come with me, honey, so we can get your measurements," she said, leading me back into the shop behind the counter. Candace stayed and studied the little drawing Luna had made, frowning.

---

After a whole lot of fussing over my measurements, which had embarrassingly little variation, I left the tailor shop, thanking them a billion times beforehand and even as I closed the door. I was having trouble keeping myself from skipping or dancing down the street or squealing again in delight. My insecurities soon resurfaced, though, but I paid little attention to them as I passed the inn and looked in the window. The sight of Chase made me all giddy and again I fought to keep in control of my excessively excited body. _Since when do I swoon like this? _I thought, scolding myself, but it didn't keep me from doing so as I took off down the dirt path to my farm, wanting to finish the day so that tomorrow would get here sooner.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** This chapter is sort of a filler, but it's also has important pieces to the plot in it. I think this chapter is meh, so yeah. Enjoy, I guess. Oh, and sorry for the late update. -.-'

**Disclaimer: **btw, I don't own anything. Except the plot.

-----

The next day started normally enough. I took care of my animals and my crops, humming to myself. Of course, I'd woken up early because I'd gone to sleep early, and so I'd finished my chores early. I had _a lot_ of extra time on my hands, and I didn't know what to do with it. After milling around my house for an hour I tacked up and rode to Brownie ranch to see Kathy. As expected, she was riding in the meadow.

"Hey!" she shouted at me, cantering in a large circle. Her horse paid little attention to mine, thankfully, because last time he charged me and nearly scared poor Phantom to death.

"Hi," I replied, smiling. I waited patiently for her to finish working her horse.

"I still can't believe you don't use a bridle," she said when she finally finished, eying my horse's oddly bare head.

"That's how Mom trained him." I shrugged, dismissing the point. "So what's up?"

"Not much. Can't wait for tonight!" she said excitedly. "Owen asked me this year." I smiled. "Are you going with Luke again?" I frowned and scratched the back of my neck.

"No… I… well, Chase asked me to go." I blushed. "And I said yes." She refrained from giggling and looked at me seriously, being the big sister that she was to everybody. "Did you talk to Luke about it yet?"

"Why do I need to?" I nearly snapped back at her, but I knew she had a point. Luke was going to be heartbroken. I sighed. Kathy didn't feel the need to answer that, however, for which I was grateful.

"Well, good luck," she said with a wink. She giggled. "Maya's gonna kill you!" I shrugged, grinning goofily.

"It's not really my fault. I mean, I'm just so charming!" I blinked multiple times, resting my chin on my hands and looking at the sky. Kathy laughed. We decided to ride around for a little bit, and we raced, but Kathy always won just barely. I swore that one day I would beat her, but she just laughed and shook her head. I didn't leave until around two thirty, deciding that would be enough time to get my dress and clean up before seven. I thought it would be plenty of time.

But on the way back to my house, Luke stopped me.

I hopped down from Phantom and told him to go home, which he did, and I followed Luke into the forest. He grinned at me giddily and I knew what was coming before he even said it.

"Hey, you want to go to the Firefly Festival with me?" he asked, his cheeks a rosy pink color. I almost flinched at the words. I took a deep breath, preparing myself for what I was about to do. I gathered every ounce of courage in my body, and after what seemed like forever, I spoke.

"Actually, I, um… I'm going with Chase." I said it as pleasantly as I could, but it didn't lesson the blow any. The smile was immediately wiped off of Luke's face, making him look completely foreign without it. He stammered a moment before replying.

"Oh… ok then. I'll see ya around then." He stalked off with his hands in his pocket, looking at the ground, hunched over, which was odd after seeing him for so long with that confident swagger. I frowned and walked to my farm in a similar manner, not looking up the entire way there.

Which was why I didn't notice the blonde girl standing behind a large tree, smiling evilly as she watched me pass.

---

I felt much better a few hours later as I strolled down the dirt path to town humming to keep from thinking too much.

That didn't work too well.

When I passed by the inn, Maya was outside, moping. When she heard me coming she looked up, and when she saw it was me she gave me a glare that shot daggers before returning to staring out at nothing in particular, leaning on the fence across from the inn. I flinched, knowing full well what she was thinking. She thought I'd betrayed her, I knew, even though I'd meant none of it…

"…_are you even listening?" Maya had said, after ranting on about… something. I looked up at her and she giggled. _

"_Um… not really," I replied, smiling. She laughed knowingly. _

"_You're thinking about someone, aren't you?" she asked, leaning back on her hands in the sand, stretching out her legs so that the water from the ocean could lap up at her bare feet. I just blushed. "Well, I think I know who you're thinking about… but… I'd like to hear you admit it~" I fidgeted uncomfortably, not having ever told anyone who I liked before, but couldn't help but smile. _

"_Well, I um..." I started, but before I was finished, she cut me off. _

"_Come on, you can tell me! You know I can keep a secret! ~" I took a deep breath. _

"_I like Chase." There was a pause. _

"_What?!" she shouted. I turned to her and was about to tell her to keep it down, but then I saw the look on her face; it was a mix of anger and hurt, and before I could even ask what was wrong, she stood up. "I can't believe you! I thought we were friends?"_

_I just watched in amazement as she stormed off to the inn, brushing sand off of her as she went. _

I sighed remembering the incident of over a season ago. I really hadn't known she liked Chase, but when I'd asked Kathy about it, she'd said it was common knowledge that Maya had had a crush on Chase since years before I met him. How was I supposed to know that?

I pushed open the door to the tailor's and walked in. The second I did Luna was in front of me giggling excitedly and talking way too fast for me to understand.

"What?" I said. She sighed.

"Follow me!" she said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me along behind her to the back room. Candace sat at the back table again, and waved at me a little when I was dragged in. Luna didn't stop, however, and kept pulling me to the back of their house. I was struggling to get free from her vice grip, wondering how such a small girl could be so strong, when she stopped and pointed with her other hand. "Look!"

My eyes followed her finger and I saw my dress on a manikin. It was light green with a subtle pattern in white on it, hardly noticeable. The back sported a big white bow on the back that tied around the waist, just like in the picture. It was a halter top and went down to just above the manikin's knee. It was perfect.

"Thank you thank you thank you THANK YOU!" I said, hugging Luna tightly. She shoved me off and started fixing her hair.

"Don't thank me, thank Candace!" she said, exasperated. "And don't do that again." She glared at me but couldn't hide her smile. I turned to Candace awkwardly and she stared up at me like a deer in headlights, apparently afraid I'd give her the bone-crushing, hair messing-up-ing (?) hug I'd just given Luna. I just smiled at her, however, respecting that she wouldn't like that sort of thing.

"Thank you so much!" I told her, smiling brightly. She just looked up at me and nodded, a small smile touching her lips.

"Well, you still have to pay for it," Luna reminded me.

"Oh. Right." I pulled out 3000G and handed it to her and she smiled and bowed.

"Thank you for your business! Come again!" she mocked, and we both laughed. "And remember you promised to come buy nice clothes for yourself." She eyed me wearily, as if expecting me to bolt from the room and leave the island. "And to come visit me more often, of course." I laughed, but she maintained her serious expression.

"Alright, alright, I will. But right now I have to go get ready! See you later!" I dashed from the room and practically ran down the street (except when I passed the inn, of course, couldn't look too excited around Maya) and up the dirt path to my house.

I left my house early, because, frankly, I was bored. I headed out to the Caramel Lake district in the twilight and waited for Chase to get there. Owen and Kathy walked by and headed farther up the mountain, and Kathy winked at me as she walked by. Phoebe and Calvin came, and then Jin and Anissa, and even Candace and Julius. I began to wonder if Chase was coming at all.

Thankfully, just as it was about to get dark, Chase came sprinting up the hill and nearly ran past me, but I grabbed his arm.

"…Angie?" he said, slightly out of breath. I nodded. He smiled at me. "You look nice! I didn't even recognize you." I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, so I don't usually look nice, huh? It's impossible for me to look nice?" I replied and we both laughed at my sarcasm. I looked him over, noticing that he wasn't wearing his apron for once. He was wearing the same kind of shirt he normally did with dress pants and actual shoes. What struck me as kind of different was that there were no bobby pins taming his wild hair, which, I supposed, he had actually brushed because it seemed in order without them. He looked really good, but I wouldn't admit that. Hadn't I embarrassed myself in front of him already?

"Of course you do. It's just that… normally you're all covered in dirt and stuff." I rolled my eyes. He laughed. "Well… let's take a seat, shall we?" With that he plopped a bag down off of his shoulder and took out what seemed to be a picnic blanket, then spread it on the ground. He put a hand out to me, which I took with a blush and a smile, and he walked me over and allowed myself to get settled before he sat down. Soon it was dark, and the fireflies started to appear.

"They're beautiful!" Chase said quietly. I nodded. "You know, I've never been to this festival before… I've never been on a date of any kind, actually…" I looked up at him, shocked, and was going to ask why but he kept talking. "I'm not really big on festivals. I didn't go to the fireworks festival, either, but then, I really don't like fireworks." I giggled at him. "What?"

"You talk too much," I said simply, scooting a little bit closer to him. He looked down at me, and I could see his eyebrow was raised, but he didn't seem to mind as he put an arm around me and pulled me the rest of the way. I blushed madly at this, even though he seemed completely comfortable. Before I could even think I put my head on his chest instinctively, immediately embarrassed. I was going to pull away but he wrapped his other arm around me, reassuring my gesture. We sat in silence for a little while and watched the fireflies dance in the moonlight.

"Chase?" I said quietly after a little while.

"Hmm?" was the reply.

"What about Maya?" He let me go and I sat up, wondering if I'd offended him. He met my eyes with his own.

"What about her?"

"Well, I thought… you know…" He sighed.

"Everybody always thinks that." He paused. "Maya's like my little sister. I could never date her. It just wouldn't… feel right. And besides, she's so childish sometimes!" I giggled, remembering the time I was in the inn for lunch and I overheard a… commotion of sorts in the kitchen which involved Chase trying some of Maya's horrible cooking. She had ended up very angry when he had truthfully told her how bad it was.

With that out of the way, Chase wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me in front of him, then said something barely audible near my ear before resting his chin on my head.

"How could I possibly date Maya when I like you?"

---

**Author's note:** Mushy mushy mushy! Anyways, I hope to actually get into the plot next chapter, so yeah. Stay tuned!


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:** Sorry people for the incredibly slow update. Well you know, if I have anyone actually reading this... -.-' Anyways, this chapter's really long... Not much more to say here, so enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harvest Moon. No matter how much I wish I did.

---

The next few days I was very elated, and I went and worked in the bar almost every night just to see Chase. Nothing really happened between us, but we were closer than ever now, and I felt like that was all I needed. I still saw Luke from time to time, but he always avoided me as much as possible.

"He's heartbroken," Bo had told me one day when I asked how Luke was. "But it's a lot better than leading him on."

Although I agreed with Bo, I couldn't help but feel bad whenever I thought of the situation and I always found myself fingering the pendent Luke had given me. I wondered if I'd made a mistake often, but seeing Chase always, well, chased those worries away.

Summer ended and fall took its place, causing the leaves on the trees to change colors and begin to drop. I planted new crops for the new season, my summer crops having all been harvested or dead.

That's what I thought of Fall as. The season of dying. The seasons reminded me of a life cycle- spring for rebirth, summer for life; fall for dying, and winter for the dead- all just to restart again, the endless cycle of birth and death.

I didn't think it would end up being so accurate.

The season definitely lived up to its reputation. My animals were distraught because their precious grass was dying and because the weather was growing colder. They looked at me in a way that made me feel like they were pouting. I was growing tired of the depressed mood around my farm, so one morning, I decided to sing.

After I started, I realized that singing made me feel a lot better, and soon I was belting a song across all of Caramel River District while I watered my plants.

"Hey!" a voice called from a little far off after I finished the first chorus of the song. I felt very embarrassed all of a sudden and turned to see Chase running along the path from the Maple Lake District to my farm. He looked flustered and concerned so I forgot my embarrassment for a moment.

"What's wrong?" I asked when he finally reached me.

"I thought I heard one of your animals dying, so I ran here as fast as I could!" He said with a perfectly straight face, panting slightly from the short run. I looked at him quizzically before I figured out what he was talking about. I blushed and opened my mouth to say something, but he laughed before I could.

"Just kidding," he said, smiling broadly. "You've got a great voice, you know."

"Yeah right," I replied turning back to my crops to hide the blush.

"I mean it." I rolled my eyes and continued with my work. "Want some help? I mean, since I already came out here."

"Um, sure." I paused, thinking, then grinned mischievously.

I shoved the watering can into his arms and told him to finish watering the crops, then skipped off, whistling, to spend time with my animals. After he was done with that I told him to go get my eggs from my chicken coop and take care of my silkworms while he was at it. He started to protest and probably complain about my lack of doing anything, but I pushed him inside and shut the door before he could.

Besides, spending quality time with my animals was important.

And locking Chase in my chicken coop? Oh, even more so.

Ok, so my chicken coop wasn't locked, but Chase was in there with the door closed. Which meant I had him all to myself. I couldn't help but giggle at the thought. However he opened the door again, complaining that it was too hot in there to keep the door closed, and I rolled my eyes and told him to get back to work. Then I returned to my post and continued my sentry duty.

I was absentmindedly watching my animals graze on the dying grass when something tackled me.

"Auntie!" it screamed. I looked down to see that the thing clinging to my leg that had nearly knocked me over was my niece, Bella. The little brunette looked up at me with big brown eyes. I smiled at her, then picked her up.

"Hey, Bella!" I was slightly confused, but looking up, I saw the rest of her family trailing along behind her, obviously not having as much energy as she did.

"Hellooo Angie!" called my sister, Jill. I waved back, trying to hide my confusion as to why they were here. I knew that my sister would tell me soon enough. I put Bella on the ground and she ran over to my cow, which had been standing nearby and watching in a rather uninterested manner.

"Well, sis, since our farm's doing so well I decided to drop in for a visit!" Jill explained when she reached me. I nodded slowly. "No worries, Takakura, Marlin and Celia are watching the farm for us!" I was about to say that I wasn't worried about her farm, of all things, but she continued talking. "Oh, they are just so adorable together!" They finally got married, did you know? Actually-"

"Nice to see you too, Jill!" I interrupted. "Heya Gustafa, Max! How are you guys?" Gustafa smiled, but his son answered for him.

"We're fine, Aunt Angie," he started. "We just might not have ears anymore after listening to this one talk for so long." My nephew gestured at his mother and I laughed. She didn't seem to notice he was talking about her, or maybe she chose to ignore it. Max smacked his forehead and ran a gloved hand through his brown hair.

"Nice place you've got here," Gustafa said, looking around. "Makes me want to write a song…"

"Oh, not now, honey, we just got here!" Jill said. "So, Angie, how are things?" I paused momentarily, knowing that whatever I told her would not only end up dinner-table gossip around Waffle Island, but would also make it back to Forget-Me-Not valley and maybe even Mineral Town. I better not let her know anything she would consider 'juicy'.

"Things are fine," I decided on saying. "It was just a lot harder to start up than I thought it would be." I smiled and she nodded.

"Yeah, at least when I started out I got Dad's old farm. And I have Takakura." She smiled at me like she hadn't been talking about a dead man and I smiled to hide the wave of grief that swept over me when she mentioned Dad so casually. I knew she hadn't meant to brag, but she came off that way an awful lot. Sometimes I wondered how Gustafa put up with her.

"So you all must be hungry from your trip. Do you-" I started after a pause.

"Oh! And who have we here?" she interrupted. Max rolled his blue eyes and I turned my head, slightly irritated, and saw Chase, who had just stepped out of the chicken coop with a small basket filled with eggs. I flushed, having forgotten he was in there with all the excitement. He seemed slightly puzzled but kept his normal composure, bowing slightly after he realized my sister was addressing him, and he strode over to my side.

"Chase," he said with a slight bow. "Nice to meet you…"

"Jill," she supplied, smiling broadly. "This is my husband, Gustafa, my son Max and my daughter Bella." She leaned in close to me and attempted poorly to whisper in my ear. "Why wasn't I invited to the wedding?" I guess she was trying not to embarrass me, but scowled all the same. I looked at her in shock. Chase laughed lightly, throwing off his own look of shock, but blushed all the same, though I bet I beat him in the redness department.

"We're not married," I said through clenched teeth, trying to send her some telepathic message to shut up.

"You mean…" she gasped and her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "How scandalous!" She glared at me, scowling, and I knew my attempt to avoid being a part of her gossip had failed.

"Jill, we aren't even seeing each other," I mumbled. _Officially, anyways, _I added in my mind. _Yet_. She looked put out and about to say something else, but Gustafa saved me.

"So… what about lunch?" he asked. I smiled at him, silently thanking him. We turned and started toward the house, but Jill still couldn't keep her trap shut.

"Sorry," Jill laughed. "But judging how you both blushed so profusely, I couldn't help but assume!" I ushered her into my house, along with the rest of her family.

"Your sister," Chase said as he walked by, the last one into the house besides me, "is absolutely charming." I was too embarrassed to laugh, but I nodded. He rolled his eyes.

Once we were inside, I left it up to Chase what we would cook for lunch. I helped the best I could, but really I just ended up getting in the way and he shooed me out of the kitchen.

Walking into the main room of my house, I realized how small it actually was. It felt incredibly overcrowded with the extra four people in my house, and they all sat at my table, leaving no room for me or for Chase. We all talked for a while, and I agreed to take her around town to meet everybody.

"I wanted to draw the farm…" Max grumbled.

"Oh you can do that later," Jill said. "After all, we're staying for a week!" At this Bella jumped up and down in her chair, squealing in delight and Max lit up visibly. Gustafa simply smiled. I began to wonder where I would put them all when Jill laughed. "No worries, we'll stay at the Inn."

Soon Chase served us lunch, and we all chatted pointlessly, though Chase and I had to sit on my bed. By the time we left for my little tour I knew everyone's business in Forget-Me-Not Valley. I now knew that Nami had left town to travel and that Nina had died, leaving Galen depressed, and that Cody had taught Max about art, which made two of us, actually.

"Well I better be off," Chase said. "I have work tonight." He waved and went to his house and the rest of us headed off in the other direction, starting my little tour of the town.

---

Jill was a talker, of course, so it took us forever to finally get to the bar, where Chase was cooking food while Maya and Kathy served it.

"How distasteful," Jill said under her breath, "falling for someone who works at a _bar_." I clenched my teeth and shook my head. I hated that she could read me like my mind was an open book, but she _had_ used that power to help me in many situations before, so I guess it was a blessing in disguise. I left her to socialize and went into the kitchen.

Chase stuck his leg out to trip me as I walked by, but I only stumbled as I passed through the small kitchen. He smirked when I punched him, and I heard Jill make some comment about how we acted like children. Chase and I almost simultaneously rolled our eyes, laughing. I left him to his work and approached Hayden, the man who ran the bar.

"Sorry I'm late," I said. "I had unexpected company."

"So Chase told me," he said gruffly. I smiled a toothy grin, feeling quite well despite my sister embarrassing me. I looked over at my family. "They have good looking kids." I nodded in agreement. Bella was sitting on Gustafa's lap as he sang a song that I was convinced he wrote. She sang along in a high-pitched voice that surprisingly didn't grate against Gustafa's. Max smiled, humming along and swaying back and forth, his sketchbook on the table in front of him.

"Well," Hayden said. "The customers aren't going to serve themselves." I nodded and started taking orders, serving up anything from ice cream to stone oil, and it seemed that we were especially busy that night. By eleven everyone was singing along with Gustafa, who was playing a folksong on his guitar. They all seemed so happy, and even Gill was singing along, smiling and laughing despite being a lone wolf in nature.

It seemed to me that everyone loved my sister and her family, and it just served to remind me that I didn't have one of my own.

---

I threw myself down on my uncomfortable straw bed, angry. It was nearly one in the morning and I knew I wouldn't be getting much sleep. Seeing everyone so happy together, singing and dancing with their own families, had torn open an old wound. I started sobbing into my pillow, not knowing what I should possibly do. I mean, it wasn't Jill's fault that she had a family and that she was well liked by everyone. It had always been like that, ever since we were little.

When Jill moved out with Gustafa and they started their own family, my parents had been ecstatic. They were huge family people, their only goal in life to have as many grandchildren as possible. The only reason my mom only had three kids was because of medical issues, after all. My younger sister, Claire, was already married when my parents died, and she was expecting as well. This left me, the only one who didn't have a family of my own. In my family, that was like having a birth defect or something, and clearly I was the outcast. At least to my parents and grandparents.

Thoughts swirled around in my mind and I was unable to grab a hold of any of them. Soon my sobbing had worn me out, but my thoughts still seeped into my dreams.

_The large, dark-skinned man smiled down at me, something I knew he never did. I was almost certain I was the only person he ever smiled at. We sat on the beach together, watching the sun set. He tentatively wrapped a gargantuan arm around me and pulled me closer to him. He smelled of the earth, I thought, and of metal and sweat. I looked up at him, smiling and blushing. His brown eyes glanced at me quickly before looking back up at the sunset, his blonde hair blowing in the breeze. I rested my head on his chest, absolutely adoring the warmth of his embrace. We were barely out of high school, and I still had the girlish fantasies of a teenager. The man beside me obviously knew as much. He wrapped his other arm around me, and I could hardly see over his bulging, muscular arms. I giggled, and he smiled in return, freeing me from his bear hug. _

"_Beautiful, isn't it?" he murmured. "How the color plays on the waves…" I nodded as his voice trailed off, and he looked at me. Before I really knew what was happening, he kissed me. After the initial shock I leaned into it, but the moment didn't last. He pulled away and I felt light-headed, thinking that a first kiss really lived up to its reputation. _

I woke up in a sour mood, knowing fully well that the dream I'd had was actually a memory. Yes, I looked back on that memory with fondness, but considering that the man who shared it with me had left me not long after, I was left on my own to fend off my parents' nagging to find a husband.

I growled and stalked into my kitchen, making myself some coffee, and then dressed and went outside. The birds chirped carelessly in the trees and the sun shone brightly, almost cheerfully, and my mood worsened.

I had left my animals, with the exception of my chickens, out the night before, knowing that it would be sunny that day. The animals grazed peacefully, though they looked up at me when I stormed out of my house. I ignored them and went to my coop, took care of Slick and gathered my eggs. As I walked over to my mayonnaise maker I saw a piece of paper stuck on the side. I tilted my head questioningly and put my eggs down inside the machine. I picked up the paper and read it, gasped, read it again, giggled, and read it a third time.

_Angie,_

_Well, I hadn't really planned on writing this in the chicken coop, but hey, as long as you get this I suppose it works. _

_Anyway, I wanted to thank you for being my friend since I've moved here. Usually people can't stand me much because of my sarcasm, but I'm glad that you share my addiction to it. To some extent at least. _

_In any case, I would like to spend more time with you. Why don't you meet me at the Inn on Sunday? You know, for lunch or something. _

_Oh, and sorry if writing a note is clichéd. I guess I just like things like that. _

_Right, talk to you soon. _

_~Chase _

I bit my lip, trying not to giggle even more, and then heard my mayonnaise maker turn off. I tucked the note into my pocket, grabbed the mayonnaise and headed outside to finish my work, and then went to town to spend the day with my family.

Unfortunately, since my family kept me busy all day, I didn't get to see Chase, but my giddiness didn't wear down even as I went to sleep that night.

---

**Author's Note: **Just in case you're wondering, the point of this chapter is to show Angela's insecurities in her life. Which, in case you didn't get it, would be her lack of a family. Anyways, reviews always welcome! Hope you liked it. ;D


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: **I suppose this is my first bit of fluff… meh. I don't think I'm that good at it, but there's only one way to get better, after all.

I promise that we will see a lot more of the actual plot very, very soon. It will only be a few more chapters. You know, to any of you who are following. (-.-')

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harvest Moon, etc.

I was hesitant to tell my sister about my date, because I really didn't want to end up gossip fodder. After all, when I used to criticize her for gossiping she always told me that she wouldn't gossip if there was nothing to gossip about. What a lovely philosophy.

In any case, I didn't really need to worry about that long because, by some weird twist of fate, Jill decided that they were going to Toucan Island for that day. I wondered about my brilliant streak of luck until I stood on the beach with Chase watching them leave and he smirked quite evilly.

"What did you do?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, let's just say I decided to be a travel agent this weekend," he replied. I smacked my forehead and rolled my eyes, but smiled all the same. He chuckled before offering his hand to me. "Shall we?"

I blushed and nodded, taking his hand, and he led me back to the Inn.

We walked in and it was quite deserted, and I wondered why until I remembered that it was Sunday.

"Isn't the Inn closed today?" I asked as he motioned for me to sit down at the table closest to the door. He nodded.

"Jake and Colleen are letting me use it," he said, turning to go to the kitchen. He looked over his shoulder and smiled. "So we've got the whole place to ourselves." I blushed as he pushed open the door to the kitchen before disappearing through it. I smoothed down my hair, nervous that maybe it had gotten a little messy since I left the house that morning, and straightened my dress (the same one I'd worn to the Firefly Festival) as I waited for him to return.

When he did he was expertly carrying two large trays with a wide assortment of food on them and set them down on the side of the table we weren't sitting at. I gawked at the sheer amount of food and he sat down across from me, grinning.

"Bon appetite," he said, grabbing a plate of steaming hot herb fish. We talked idly over lunch for awhile, telling each other more about our lives before moving here and other things about ourselves. It felt like a dream come true, being on my very first date in quite a few years. As we finally finished our lunch, Chase leaned back and rubbed his stomach absently.

"So, how'd you like it?" he asked, gazing at me in anticipation with his violet eyes.

"It was really good!" I exclaimed. "I don't think I've eaten that much before in my life."

"I made it all myself, thanks," he grinned. "And you haven't eaten that much before because you hardly eat anything. I keep telling you that you need to eat better. Look how skinny you are!"

"If I ate like this every day, I'd be three hundred pounds before I knew it." I rolled my eyes at Chase, who'd already had this debate with me many times before. "And besides, I feel like such a pig."

"You should." Chase's lips twitched, as if holding back laughter. "You've got sauce on your face." He laughed. "It's… kind of cute." He blushed, as did I, though I was blushing in embarrassment. "Right… there." He reached across the table and wiped it off and my blush deepened. I averted my gaze, feeling a little awkward.

"Lucky for me," he started, "I got Maya to agree to do the dishes." He grinned. As if on cue, Maya walked down the stairs, looking grouchy, which was very out of character, and then looked up at us. She jumped, furrowing her brows at us, then shook her head.

"It's nearly five o'clock and you guys are still here?" she sighed, obviously annoyed, and crossed her arms over her chest. Chase and I exchanged shocked looks.

"Sorry," Chase said, rubbing the back of his neck. "We didn't know it was so late." I stood cautiously, and Maya cast a glare at me before gazing sadly back at Chase. He stood as well, then turned to me. "C'mon!" He hurried toward the door, grabbing my hand on the way by and dragging me along. "Bye, Maya!" I waved back shyly, blushing at this new development as Chase half led, half dragged me toward the beach.

"Chase," I said, panting in my effort to not fall over. "Where are we going?"

"To the beach." As if that wasn't obvious. I rolled my eyes.

"I meant _why_ are we going and _what_ is so important that we have to rush there?" He glanced back at me and grinned.

"You'll see." I looked after him, puzzled, and he squeezed my hand, urging me forward. We turned by the general store and he pulled me onto the beach, causing me to have to lift my feet higher to keep from sinking into the soft sand. He slowed down, not being able to run as fast in the sand, and headed off toward the light house.

On the stretch of beach in front of the lighthouse, there was a blanket laid out on the sand. I looked at the back of Chase's head quizzically, but he didn't turn around. He slowed to a walk and allowed me to catch up, but I was too busy catching my breath and puzzling over this to say anything.

"Take a seat," he said, gesturing toward the blanket when we reached it. I blushed and complied and he joined me, looking out over the ocean. I followed his gaze to see the sun slowly sinking in the sky, not quite touching the horizon yet, but casting a myriad of colors in the sky, ranging from pink to orange to purple, and causing the ocean to sparkle in the waning light. My mouth fell agape at the sunset and I realized I hadn't seen one for quite a while.

A warm, early fall breeze blew up from the ocean, ruffling our hair as we watched the sun fall lower and lower, dipping down into the ocean, kind of reminding me of a cookie…

Chase scooted loser in a manner that I suppose would have been nonchalantly if I wasn't constantly aware of what Chase was doing at any given time, supposing he was in my presence. I saw out of the corner of my eye that he was blushing a little, but I pretended not to notice and continued to watch the sun, which had seemed to have paused in its decent.

"So…" he said awkwardly. I suppressed laughter and waited for him to continue, looking up at him expectantly. "I've been thinking about you a lot lately…" He paused. "I… I think I love you. No, I know I love you." His purple eyes continued to look into mine, refusing to break contact, apparently waiting for a response. I smiled and glanced away, blushing profusely, trying to think of how I should word my answer.

Before I could say anything, though, his lips pressed up against mine, his arm wrapping around my waist and pulling me into him. I blushed even more and noticed he was blushing too before I closed my eyes and relaxed, leaning forward into the kiss. His strawberry blonde hair tickled my cheek, and I have to admit that I was disappointed when he finally pulled away. I became aware that I had been holding my breath and took in some air, letting it out raggedly and feeling very, _very_ light-headed, unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. I looked at him, noticing he was still blushing, but he smiled at me and shrugged.

"Your face said it all," he explained, though I wasn't going to complain about him kissing me spontaneously like that. I smiled in response and hugged him, resting my head on his chest and breathing in his orangey smell. He wrapped his arms around me like it he'd done it a million times before; I suppose he was just smooth like that.

"Who knew you were the romantic type?" I asked with a chuckle as I sat up.

"You know the ladies love me," he scoffed, slipping his finger through his apron straps, looking nerdish… but still quite attractive, at least in my opinion. I laughed and he glared at me.

We returned our attention to the setting sun and watched as the last part of the sun vanished below the horizon.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: **Thanks to MissSweetAsian for helping me with this chapter. XD I was having issues.

**---**

Alright, I'll admit it, I missed Luke. I hadn't seen hide nor hair of him in at least a week, and, being my best friend (well at least he used to be my best friend. I had no idea where things stood now), I really wanted to see him. I wanted things to be like they were before, when we would goof off just about every day. But I knew that he was upset, and there was only one thing I could think of that would cheer him up.

Mayonnaise.

Yeah, Luke was a big fan of mayonnaise. So one morning, I went to my coop and made as much as I could, did all my farm work and headed off to the Ganache Mine District, my rucksack bulging from the bulky mayonnaise containers. I opened the doors to the carpentry cautiously, wondering how I would be accepted.

"Hello, Ms. Angela," Dale greeted me politely. I smiled at him; he seemed normal enough. "Can I get you anything today?"

"No," I answered. "I'm just here to see Luke." He didn't look surprised at all at that statement, though I saw Bo attempt to move inconspicuously into the back rooms. I walked across the room to the counter where Dale stood, pretending not to notice. "Is he here?"

"Yes, I'll get him for you," Dale said. "LUKE! SOMEONE'S HERE TO SEE YOU!" I flinched at the sheer volume the man in front of me produced, and looked at him disbelievingly. I could've shouted for him myself… There was a muffled answer from the back room and Luke ran out excitedly a few moments later, pausing momentarily when he saw me, but soon he was back to his upbeat self again.

"Hey, Ange! You haven't been here in a while," he said. I was slightly confused at his reaction to me, but happy that he'd gotten over it so quickly. "You busy? Lets go have some fun! I'm tired of being cooped up in this place! Bo, cover for me, ok?" Before Dale or Bo could object, he was pulling me out the door by the wrist. I stumbled along behind him, wondering what it was about me that made people want to drag me along like this.

"Luke, where are we going?" I asked. Deja-vu was really starting to get to me now.

"To Praline Woods, of course. That's where we always hang out!" he answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and for a moment he actually made me feel dumb. It was very… odd.

"Right… well I can walk myself there you know."

"Oh, right. Sorry." He laughed, releasing my wrist. We walked up the sloping path and sat on the fence outside the forest, and talked for awhile about life in general before I remembered to give him the mayonnaise that I'd made that morning.

"Oh yeah! I've got something for you," I said, pulling out the plethora of bottles. He gawked at them before shoving as many as he could in his bag, but was still left with two that he had to carry.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" Luke exclaimed, hugging me with his free arm. Even with one arm, his hug managed to be strong enough to impair my breathing, and I gasped for air, the little amount I got smelling heavily of sweat. It was definitely not the most pleasant position I'd ever been in.

"Luke… ah… can you let me go now?" I wheezed. He complied, still sputtering about mayonnaise. He even started to pour some into his mouth. How disgusting. It was unbelievable how much this guy liked mayonnaise. He ate one entire bottle and opened the other he had out to start on it before I snatched it away from him and put it in my rucksack.

"Save it for later, Luke, or you won't have any left!" He grinned broadly at me and wiped some mayonnaise off of his face.

"Hey, you still wear that?" he said, reaching out and lifting the pendant off of my sternum. I raised an eyebrow at him as he examined it.

"Why wouldn't I? It _is_ gorgeous." He dropped it and looked up at me with a somewhat serious look on his face.

"Well I thought, you know, since you're with Chase now, that you'd stop wearing it." I blushed, but overall I think I maintained my composure quite well. "Glad to see I was wrong." He beamed at me.

"I don't ever take it off except to take a shower." I smiled, proud of myself for not letting him down. He continued beaming at me before giving me a full blown Luke bear hug.

"Can't… breathe…" I croaked, my arms pinned to my sides. He picked me up and swung me around before placing me back on solid ground. I staggered a bit, feeling a little dizzy, but ended up smiling up at him. He was exactly how I remembered him, now that he was over me. I knew he couldn't possibly be down forever.

"C'mon!" he yelled suddenly. "Lets go play some soccer!" He dashed off towards Brownie Ranch, where we normally played soccer. I followed and heard him yell "Bo! Come on, we're playing soccer!" and as I turned the corner, I saw him pulling at Bo's arm. Eventually Bo gave in and ran with us to Brownie Ranch. Alright, so he basically ran with _me_ to Brownie Ranch because Luke had dashed away and was now way ahead of us.

"Well he's feeling better," Bo murmured. "What did you give him anyway?" He looked over at me and I grinned at him.

"Mayonnaise," we both said in unison. I laughed and he rolled his eyes, and we tried to catch up with Luke.

By the time we got to the ranch, Luke was already setting up makeshift goals with Kathy, who smiled and waved when she saw us.

"You guys are so slow!" Luke shouted. Bo and I panted as we walked over to them, probably looking a bit pathetic. "So you guys have to be on a team." Bo and I glanced at each other, exchanging confused looks.

"Ok…" Bo shrugged, not really seeing the big deal with that. Kathy and Luke grinned at each other, and I narrowed my eyes in suspicion at them. We found out soon what the big deal was about us being on a team; we were both incredibly tired from our run, and they smothered us during the first game.

"We win!" Luke shouted, pumping a fist in the air.

"That's not fair!" I yelled at him. "We were tired before we even started!" He stuck his tongue out at me, and Kathy walked over and held out her hand.

"Good game," she said as I shook it. "Now… girls versus boys!" I grinned in agreement and we turned to the boys expectantly.

"You're on!" Luke shouted. Bo, who looked absolutely exhausted, looked at me pleadingly, but I _had _to beat Luke in a game or he'd never let me forget it. Kathy and I creamed them, and Luke kept telling Bo it was entirely his fault. Bo just sighed and shook his head, but he actually started getting into it at the end of the game. Kathy and I high-fived, but there was no 'good game' this time around.

"I declare a rematch!" Luke shouted.

"No!" Bo yelled. "Dale's going to kill us as it is!" I nodded, saving him from Luke this time, and the two went home, leaving me with Kathy.

"So," she started. "I see you two made up."

"Yeah," I answered sheepishly, kicking at the dirt.

"You're going out with Chase now, aren't you?" I nodded. "Yeah, he never stops talking about you." She grinned at me.

"Really?" I said, tilting my head to the side.

"Yeah, he's totally in love with you." I blushed and she grinned. "I have to go get ready for work. I'll see ya." She turned and started walking to the Maple Lake District, and I decided I to go into the shop to talk to Cain about my cow. He said that it should have it's baby very soon- maybe within the week. Apparently he'd stopped by that day while I was with Luke to check on my cow. I thanked him and left.

As I passed the carpentry, I noticed a figure at the window out of the corner of my eye. When I turned to look, all I saw was the end of long blonde hair whip around to where I couldn't see it. I thought Kathy had said that she needed to get ready for work? Though I thought it was strange, I decided to blow it off and kept walking.

As I walked away, I felt piercing eyes watching me, but for some reason I was too afraid to turn around and look. I quickened my pace, and practically ran to my house, a strange panic coming over me. I slammed it shut and locked it forcefully, breathing heavily.

_That was weird, _I thought frantically. I tried to push it out of my mind as I made myself dinner and went to bed.

---

When someone knocked at my door the next morning, I nearly jumped right out of my bed. When the thunder boomed afterwards, I _did_ fall out of my bed, landing on the hardwood floor with a thunk. There was almost no light streaming in my windows, and the sound of rain was almost deafening.

"Ow…" I said groggily, dragging myself off the floor. "Coming!"

I turned on the light and opened the door to see a very wet-looking Chase standing in a heavy torrent of rain. He kind of reminded me of a cat just then- especially how he looked all irritated at the fact that he was drenched. I moved out of the doorway and invited him in with a gesture, covering my mouth with my other hand while I yawned. He stalked in and I shut the door behind him. He started unbuttoning his shirt once he was inside and I blushed. All of a sudden I didn't feel that tired anymore.

"Wha… What are you doing?" I stammered, my heart rate rising. He turned and raised an eyebrow at me.

"Getting out of my wet clothes. Would you rather me get hypothermia?" he said sarcastically. I shook my head, though I knew it was a rhetorical question. "You're lucky I came by; your animals were still out from yesterday." I panicked for a moment, and he let out a low chuckle. "Don't worry; I put them in for you." I smiled gratefully at him. "You know, it wasn't raining when I left my house this morning." I returned to my shy, embarrassed self when Chase took off his shirt and hung it on a chair. Aw geez, Chase was half naked in my house! I nodded in answer as I tried to ignore his perfect body and dug in my dresser for some clothes. I pulled out an over-large t-shirt and gave it to him, though I had no clue what he was going to do about pants.

He seemed to have that covered, though, because he just pulled them off. I hurried into the kitchen to make breakfast, refusing to look at him.

"I'm wearing boxers, you know!" he laughed from the main room. As I started frying eggs, he came into my kitchen, which had been renovated since he'd been here last.

"I like what you've done with your house," he said, looking around.

"Thanks," I mumbled. He startled me when he walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his head on my shoulder.

"I missed you yesterday," he said in my ear, sending goose bumps racing across my skin. I blushed and smiled as he kissed my cheek. "That's why I'm here, in case you're wondering."

"Missed you too," I said, flipping the eggs.

"Goddess, your technique is horrible," Chase laughed as he stepped back. I glared at him, but he ignored me and grabbed some plates out of a cabinet, placing them on the counter beside me. He then went back into the main room and reclined in one of my chairs.

"It's nice to be the one being waited on for once," he remarked as I put the plate in front of him. I rolled my eyes and sat down. A moment later, there was the roar of thunder and the lights flickered off.

"Great," I mumbled, just as they came back on.

"Well, I don't mind it," Chase said, referring to the weather. "It's better than when the sky is dark and gloomy but it isn't raining. Not that I like the rain by any means, mind you."

"Rain isn't all bad," I said. "When it rains, I don't have to water my crops."

"Lazy," he mumbled, forking his eggs down ferociously.

"Am not." I shoved a forkful of eggs in my mouth.

"Are so." He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Am not!" We glared at each other over our empty plates for a moment before I grabbed them both and stalked off into the kitchen.

"So, what do we do for the rest of the day?" Chase asked when I reentered the room. Looking at the clock, I saw that it was nearly eleven. _Dang, I really slept in today!_ I thought.

"I've got board games," I suggested, gesturing at my bookshelf.

"I would know; I organized them." Chase stood and scanned over them quickly before picking one out. It read _Clue_ on the side of the worn box. "I bet I can beat you."

"You're on." We set up the board and I chose Ms. Scarlet, placing my red piece on the designated start space and he chose Colonel Mustard, I suppose liking the food reference. I apparently underestimated him, because he won the first game _way_ before I'd found out any information at all. I hadn't really thought he'd be so perspicacious. We played all afternoon, and I won one game, and I think that was only because he let me.

"I told you so," he said for what seemed like the millionth time, leaning back in his chair and smirking at me.

"No more Clue!" I shouted, throwing my arms above my head exasperatedly. Chase just laughed as we started picking up the pieces. I stood to bring the box to the bookshelf where it belonged, but then lightening flashed and thunder shook the entire house, causing me to jump and drop the box, scattering cards everywhere. Chase laughed at me, but helped me pick them up and put it on the bookshelf himself, saying that he didn't want to have to clean it up fifty more times before I could make it without spooking at the thunder and dropping the box.

Chase and I made dinner afterwards and enjoyed it in companionable silence. I got up when we were finished and went into the kitchen and began to wash the dishes. Lightening struck and thunder boomed, plunging my house into darkness, but this time the lights didn't come back on.

"Do you have a flashlight?" Chase asked in the dark. I began moving back into the main room slowly, trying not to trip.

"No," I replied sheepishly. I heard him smack his forehead in disbelief.

"Well now what?" Chase said irritably. As if in reply, the lightning flashed again, followed by thunder.

"Do you know what time it is?" I asked after the thunder faded. I thought I saw him shake his head, but I couldn't really tell. The lightening flashed and I caught a glimpse at the clock. I thought it read something around seven, and I was amazed that it was so late already.

"That kills plans for any more games," Chase said. I nodded, even though he couldn't see me. I finally found a chair in the dark and sat down. We were both silent for a few minutes, listening to the thunder and the rain hitting the roof heavily.

"Is it just me, or is it getting cold in here?" Chase asked.

"It is. It's because the power's out, so my heater isn't on." The lightening flashed and I got a clear view of Chase's face, and his expression startled me. One of his eyebrows were raised, and he was wearing an odd smirk. He apparently saw my own, puzzled expression because he chuckled, then he stood and walked over to me. My heart matched the volume of the thunder as it banged in my ears when Chase put one hand on each arm of the chair I was sitting in and leaned down over me, his face hovering inches from mine. I couldn't see his expression, but when the lightening flashed again, it wasn't the look of lust that I expected it to be; it was loving and caring, and his violet eyes locked with my brown ones. I stopped breathing for a moment, and it felt like my heart gave out.

"I love you," he whispered, but before I could reply he closed the distance between us and kissed me softly, jump-starting my heart again. "And what I meant was; would you keep me warm tonight?" My eyes widened at his implied meaning and he chuckled. "Not like that." He kissed me again and then stood and took a step back, offering a hand to me. I took it and stood shakily before hugging him around his neck.

"Of course I would," I said quietly. I kissed him, grabbed his hand and led him to my bed. "I only have a single bed, though."

"Guess we'll just have to get close, then." I thought I saw him grin before I climbed in bed, still wearing my pajamas from that morning. He followed suit, pulling the covers over himself and wrapping an arm around my waist. He nuzzled into my neck, causing me to giggle a bit because I was ticklish. His body molded itself to mine, and he let out a contented sigh.

"You know it's only seven, right?" I mumbled, stifling a yawn. It was like now that I was warm and in bed I was exhausted. He grunted and yawned, his chin pressing into my shoulder, and I could feel his warm breath on my face. My eyes fluttered closed.

"Goodnight, Chase," I murmured. There wasn't an answer for a minute, so I guessed he was already asleep, and I started to drift off.

"Goodnight… Angel."

---

**Author's Note:** Urf. So corny it burns, man. It BURNS. Oh well. I like it. :P


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: **Ok, I know I haven't updated in ages and ages, but I do have a semi-good reason. I finished typing this chapter and then it got deleted! I was very upset, as you can imagine. But anyway, I finished retyping it and I suppose it's close enough to the original that I can be happy about it. Enjoy.

---

I woke up feeling incredibly warm. I'd rolled over onto my stomach in my sleep, but I still felt warm breath on the back of my neck. Staring groggily with half-lidded eyes at the dainty hand attached to the arm that lay draped across my back, I tried to remember whose it was, too lazy to turn around and see. Yes, my brain works _that _slowly in the morning.

Right. Chase had stayed here because of the storm last night. I blushed as I remembered the night before, but smiled all the same. I turned my head around and found myself face to face with his sleeping form, his nose nearly touching mine. I rolled carefully onto my side and faced him, wrapping my arm around his waist and getting comfortable to go back to sleep.

When I woke up again, it was to Chase kissing my cheek. I opened my eyes to see him still close to me, but now he was wide awake and smiling at me with sparkling purple eyes. He kissed me tenderly on the lips once, causing me to blush.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said. He was so incredibly corny sometimes! But I loved it, so I smiled.

"Morning," I responded, my voice deeper than usual because I just woke up. Chase pulled away and stretched, once again reminding me of a cat, his arms above his head and his back arched. I sat up reluctantly, knowing that I had work to do. Chase hopped out of bed enthusiastically.

"I'll make breakfast!" he exclaimed. How could he be such a morning person? I merely grunted in response and headed for the bathroom, took a quick shower and brushed my teeth before reentering the main room of my house. Chase was just finishing with pancakes, though I hadn't realized I'd had anything to make them with. I didn't question his ways, however, as I sat down across from him and started digging in.

"You like it?" he asked as I ate greedily. I nodded and he laughed at me.

After breakfast Chase took a shower, leaving me by myself in the main room of my house. I walked over to my wall mirror and brushed my short brown hair, examining myself in the mirror briefly before grabbing a sketchbook and lying down on my bed. I flipped through the book, criticizing every sketch I came across and thinking about how I could make it better. I heard Chase start singing 'I'm Walking on Sunshine' and snickered a bit when his voice cracked at the high notes, but I figured he was being silly for my benefit and tried to concentrate on my sketches.

Chase stepped out of my bathroom in a cloud of steam, making me wonder if I'd have any hot water for the next two weeks. He was dressed and had a towel slung over his shoulders, and his wet hair clung to the side of his face. He walked over to my mirror and frowned at his reflection before covering his head with the towel and rubbing his hair roughly. When he removed it, his hair was dry, but it stuck out in all directions, causing me to stifle a laugh. He glanced at me before continuing to study himself in the mirror, shaking his head much like a lion would shake his mane.

I continued to fight laughter at him and his messy hair, which still stood out at odd angles, until he looked at me, placing a hand on his hip and narrowing his eyes at me.

"What?" he said, causing me to burst out into hysterical fits of laughter at his pose and the condition of his hair. He strode toward me, throwing the towel over a chair, before slinging himself onto the bed, hovering over me and effectively quieting me. I held my sketchbook to my chest defensively and stared up at him. He smirked and then kissed me before gracefully rolling himself off the bed, landing on his feet and walking away as if nothing had happened. It occurred to me for what felt like the millionth time that he moved like a cat, and I stood and headed for the front door.

Chase wanted to take care of my animals, so I only had to tend to my crops that morning. I whistled absentmindedly as he did so, and I heard him ring the large bell outside my barn, and the parade of animals it summoned afterwards. Then there were loud squawks and clucks as he let my chickens out, but they weren't as easy to get into my pasture and Chase became irate rather quickly with them. I merely laughed as he chased them through the gate while trying not to let my other animals out (not like they'd go anywhere; they had the best grass in town, so why would they?).

Despite all the chaos, Chase still managed to finish with my animals before I finished with the crops, and when I was done I found him standing at the edge of the field, looking over it quizzically.

"Where's your horse?" he asked when he noticed my presence beside him. I stared dumbly at him.

"My horse?" I replied oh so intelligently, mentally kicking myself.

"Yes, your horse." He nodded to emphasize the point.

"You mean Phantom?"

"Unless you have any other horses I don't know about, yes." He folded his arms over his chest, looking out over the field again.

"He's gone?" My eyes opened widely in disbelief.

"Yes!" He was getting irritated with me, I knew, but I was struggling to understand the concept of Phantom just being _gone. _I whipped my head around to look out over the field. There was my cow, and my sheep and goat, and six chickens… but where was Phantom? He'd never run off before, and the other animals hadn't escaped, so it couldn't have been because he got out of the barn last night.

"Are you sure you put him up last night?" I asked. I racked my brain for answers, not knowing what I'd do if my horse was gone. After all, he'd been with me for most of my life; this was like loosing my _soul. _

"Yeah, he even tried to eat my hair," Chase said. I started to panic, dropping my watering can on the ground and raising both gloved, dirty hands to my mouth and whistling as loud as I possibly could. Chase covered his ears quickly and he cringed, looking at me in disgust when he saw my filthy hands in my mouth. What can I say? I was desperate. When I finally ran out of air, I wiped the dirt away from my face and listened for my horse. Nothing. Chase grabbed my arm before I could whistle again and shook me.

"Angie, try and think. He couldn't have gotten out, so someone must've taken him, right?" he said. I nodded shakily. "Who could that someone be?" I tried to think. My horse wouldn't have walked off by himself, and I knew that, even if he had, he would've come back to me when I whistled. Either he'd gotten hurt and couldn't get back on his own, or someone was keeping him from me for some reason. I desperately hoped it was the latter and started listing people who he would've gone with, considering that I didn't have a halter to lead him with.

He would've followed Kathy without a problem, though I didn't see what she would want with him, so I dismissed her from my mind. Owen was good with horses as a direct result of going out with Kathy, but, once again, I saw no motive. That left Chase, Renee, Bo and Luke, and not one of them had a good reason that I could think of to take my horse.

"Well?" Chase said. "Who would he have followed?" I sighed, shifting nervously in place.

"Kathy, Owen, Renee, Bo, Luke, and you," I answered. "I don't see why any of them would've taken him. Luke seemed fine yesterday." Chase frowned, and I thought he looked like he was going to ask about what had happened yesturday, but he didn't.

"Let's go see if anybody has seen him," Chase suggested instead. "Come on." He grabbed my shaky hand and walked me into the Maple Lake District, and we asked everyone we saw if they'd seen my horse. As the sun peaked in the sky and more people told us that they hadn't seen Phantom, I grew more and more nervous. By the time we reached town hall, I was shaking uncontrollably. We entered, finding Gill, the mayor's son, sitting behind the desk. Elli was nowhere in sight.

"Gill," Chase asked, obviously becoming tired of asking the same question over and over again. "Have you seen Phantom anywhere?" Gill looked up from his work and raised an eyebrow at us, giving us an icy blue glare.

"Who?" he asked rudely. Of course, he wouldn't know who Phantom was. He hated my guts or something.

"Her horse?" Chase responded just as rudely. It looked like Chase and Gill didn't get along so well either.

"I'm much to busy to be chasing after some animal," Gill scoffed. "Maybe if Angela were more responsible things like this wouldn't happen."

That was when I snapped.

I started sobbing fitfully and ran out the door, avoiding a bewildered Chase on the way, going nowhere in particular. I vaguely heard people call out my name, but I ignored them and kept running, crying silently, pumping my legs as hard as I could.

When I finally looked up, I was at the base of Mt. Gelato. I absently walked up the slope to the mine. A vague shiver ran down my spine as I thought about how Phantom hated mines and anything having to do with them, including my hammer (though how he'd learned to associate hammers with mining was a mystery to me). Incredibly exhausted, I practically collapsed onto the ground and sobbed outside the mine for my lost companion.

I'm sure to anyone else, it seems like I'd overreacted. But how could I not cry for my friend? I'd had him for over ten years and raised him myself. Whenever things got bad, I always went riding so that I could get away from it all, or sometimes just stood with Phantom in the field and cried into his neck. And now both my parents and one of my sisters were dead, and Phantom was the only thing I really had left from back home. He meant a lot to me, and Gill's words cut deep. It was _my_ fault he was gone. I hadn't gone to check on any of my animals during the storm, and now he could be dead somewhere.

On top of it all, I couldn't help but think of something similar that had happened when I'd lived with my parents. I'd left the door of the chicken coop open on accident, and all of my father's chickens had escaped in the middle of the night. We'd woken up the next morning to hear the rooster crowing from the roof. We hadn't needed to search very long before we'd found two half-eaten hens, and a trail of blood and feathers leading away from our farm. The wild dogs had gotten most of them that night, and because of me my father lost a lot of his flock. I'd thrown up when I'd seen the dead birds in our yard, and cried and wailed all day. I could still remember what they'd looked like, with their rib cages poking out at odd angles, their beaks open and eyes rolled back in their heads. Worst of all, I'd known that it was entirely my fault.

Just like it was now.

---

**Author's Note: **How terribly sad! I feel so bad for her, because I know that _I'd _be distraught if my horse were to go missing. Um, review, please?


	12. Chapter 12

I fell asleep on the mountain that night.

I probably would've stayed there until morning if a raccoon hadn't woken me up by digging through my rucksack. I chased it away unenthusiastically and sat up, rubbing my eyes drowsily. I felt like crying again, but found that I was just too tired to. With a sigh, I stood and picked my way down the mountain in the moonlight. I bitterly thought how ironic it was that when I was feeling so horrible when the night was so pretty. The silver moonbeams reflected off the surface of the ocean as I passed, and the stars glittered in the clear night sky. I turned around the bend and saw my house, illuminated from within and standing over the Caramel River district obtrusively, shining unnatural light where it was not needed.

I knew right away who was inside.

A sob caught in my throat as I thought of Chase, worrying about me and even waiting up for me to get home, and that was when I realized that I truly needed him. I was also nervous about seeing him, and felt guilty for running off like I had, but I knew he'd forgive me.

Or, at least, I _hoped_ he would.

I paused outside my door and took a few deep breaths to calm myself before I opened the door. Chase was sitting at my table with his head in his hands, his fingers entwined in his hair, and I couldn't see his face. He hadn't heard me come in, and I couldn't bring myself to say anything. As a matter of fact, I couldn't even bring myself to move. I stood there in the doorway watching Chase, and though I don't know how long I'd been standing there, I know that I started crying only when I saw a teardrop splash on the table underneath Chase. I finally stepped in the house and shut the door behind me, and the soft click caused Chase's attention to turn to me as a startled animal's would, and he stood and closed the distance between us before either of us said anything. We both just leaned against each other, him crying into my hair as I cried into his chest.

"Where did you go?" he asked me after a minute, pulling away with his hands on my shoulders. His eyes were red and puffy, and seeing him like that made my heart ache. Despite all this, he smiled. "And why are you so dirty?" He sighed, pulling me close again before I could even answer.

"I was at Mt. Gelato… I fell asleep there," I said. "And I know how dangerous that is, so you don't have to tell me. I'm fine, by the way." He chuckled a little bit, and I smiled despite feeling like my heart was attached to a block of lead.

"Are you hungry? You should probably eat something before you go to bed," Chase said, grabbing my hand and walking me to the nearest chair. I shook my head and took a shaky breath, wiping my eyes with my free hand.

"I'm going to take a shower and then go to bed," I said. Chase furrowed his brows at me, frowning slightly.

"Are you sure?" he asked. I nodded tiredly, and he kissed my cheek before letting me get my things and take a shower. When I got out, he was sitting in the same chair he had been when I'd arrived, only this time his eyes were closed and he leaned back in the chair with his arms crossed. He opened his eyes when he heard me step into the room, and he stood slowly.

"Are you absolutely positive you don't want anything to eat?" he asked. I smiled.

"Yes, Chase, I am," I replied. I approached him and wrapped my arms around his neck, and he hesitantly hugged me back.

"Are you ok, Angie?" he asked. In reply, I kissed him on the cheek.

"I love you, Chase," I said, and before he said anything I pulled away and curled up into bed. After a moment, I felt him behind me, pulling me close, before he whispered:

"I love you too." With that, we both went to sleep, and, for the first time since my horse had disappeared, I felt at peace.

---

I awoke to a scream of a horse.

Right when I heard it, I sat bolt upright in bed, startling awake Chase.

"Did you hear that?" I asked. "It was Phantom, wasn't it?"

"I didn't hear anything," Chase mumbled. I leapt out of bed before he could say anything and ran outside, listening intently. I whistled loudly and then stood silent again; the only noise the soft _click_ of Chase shutting the door as he came outside to join me. He stood next to me silently, looking rather tired, but he didn't say anything. We stood there for some time, and I was about to give up again when I heard it: the piercing scream that I was sure belonged to my horse. It sounded like it came from a good distance away, and the cool morning air combined with the nearby forests and mountains distorted the sound so that I could only tell that it came from the north.

"Come on, Chase!" I said. "We have to go find him!" I grabbed his hand and started pulling, but he didn't budge.

"Shouldn't we get dressed first?" he said groggily. I let go of his hand.

"Are you kidding? There's no time! Let's go!" With that I ran down the slope that lead to my house, and then turned north. I ran as fast as I could, not knowing where I was going but not willing to stop. I wondered briefly if Chase was following, and I turned my head to look.

All of a sudden I ran into something. Or, I should say, some_one_. We both fell to the ground, a mass of tangled limbs and heavy breathing.

"Sorry," I said as I sat up, separating my own limbs from the other's. I looked down and saw that it was Bo that I'd run into. He pushed himself up off the ground and began to brush dirt off of himself.

"No problem," he said. "Though may I ask what you were running out here for?" He looked me over briefly and raised a blonde eyebrow as he stood. "… In your pajamas, no less?" I blushed, but he just offered me a hand and helped me up.

"I'm looking for Phantom," I explained. "I heard him this way… I think. Have you seen him?" Bo frowned and shook his head.

"No, but you might want to ask Luke," he said. "He's up in the forest. If Phantom is up this way, that'd be where he's at, right?" I nodded, and abruptly turned to jog up the slope to the forest.

"Yeah, thanks Bo!" With that, I dashed to the forest, keeping an eye out for both Luke and Phantom. I whistled loudly, but I didn't get a response. Or, at least, not from Phantom. I heard another whistle, and I was puzzled for a moment before deciding to answer with another whistle of my own. Luke appeared from the direction of the other whistle, pushing through shrubs and nearly tripping as he entered the small clearing that I stood in.

"Heya, Ange!" Luke said.

"Have you seen Phantom?" I asked without preamble. His large smile immediately faded and he refused to look at me. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, looking rather… guilty, I thought. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Luke? Where's Phantom?"

"Well actually…" he started, laughing nervously. "He's in the old mine in the mountain, the one that no one ever uses-"

"What?!" I yelled. "You brought him to the mine?! He's terrified of mines! He could seriously hurt himself!" I closed the distance between us and grabbed the front of his shirt. "You better have a good explanation," I growled. His eyes darted back and forth before they settled on mine. Before he could say anything, though, they started glowing red. I was frozen in place for a moment, trying to decide what to do, but found myself just watching as his whole expression changed from that of guilt to one of neutrality. Then I noticed that my necklace was glowing, too, and I could see it through my shirt. I stepped back, letting go of Luke.

"It's just a stupid animal," he said, though he didn't sound right, not like himself at all. However, I forgot myself for a moment, having been insulted by his words, and there was the satisfying sound of my fist connecting with his jaw. The impact visibly startled him, and he fell back onto the ground. When he looked up at me in shock, his eyes were back to their normal amber color, and he was staring at me with his mouth agape, a thin trail of blood dripping down his chin. I stared at him with a very similar look on my face, my chest heaving.

"Angie!" Chase called as he came crashing through the forest, fully clothed. He reached us and stared for a second before furrowing his brows, and then he rushed over to me and grabbed my shoulders, pulling me back a few steps and standing behind me protectively.

Like being protected was what I needed just then.

Bo emerged from the same place Chase had, and he too looked at us in shock before helping the startled and bleeding Luke to his feet. Luke gave Chase and me a sad glance before leaving, and I would've gone after him had Chase not been holding me back.

"What was that all about?" Chase asked. I studied the ground for a moment before I answered.

"He brought my horse to the mine, the one near my house." I paused, thinking. "I have to go get him! Let me go!" I started struggling against his grip, but he didn't let me go.

"Wait a second!" Chase said. "Why'd he do that?"

"I don't know!" I screeched in reply. "Let me go! I need to go get my horse!" I flailed around for a moment before throwing the lanky man off of me, causing him to lose his balance, but I didn't care just then. I once again ran away, heading up to the unused mine that was no more than a five minute walk from my house.

When I got there, I was obviously very out of breath, considering that farming didn't really accustom me to running around all over the place (that's what I had a horse for, after all). I jogged into the cave and attempted to look around, but it was too dark for me to see.

"It's about time!" a girl called from in the darkness. I heard a snap, presumably that of the girl snapping her fingers, and then the dim lights came on in the old mine.

I was completely shocked by who I saw, and I'd really, really hoped that I'd never, ever, _ever_ have to see her again.

She wasn't imposing-looking by any means. She was relatively short with long, blonde wavy hair that reached well past her shoulders and down her back. She wore a black cloak over a purple dress, and tall black boots that reached her knees, and she looked at me with piercing red eyes.

It was the Witch Princess.

I know it probably sounds ridiculous, but she really could perform magic, and usually, it was dark magic. I stood there, utterly horrified at what she could possibly do to me. This girl was holding a grudge from a long time ago, and she even told me that the next time she saw me, I'd be dead.

I completely expected her to follow up on that threat.

I looked toward the entrance to the cave, but a solid screen of black had appeared there. That meant I was trapped. I gulped and turned my attention back to the Witch Princess.

"Phantom!" I yelled, seeing my horse strapped to the wall by multiple points -- at his neck, and on his legs -- and his eye that I could see swiveled in its socket and centered on me. He whinnied in terror at me, and his black coat was covered in sweat.

"How sweet," the Witch Princess said. "You two are so… attached." She laughed. "Too bad that fact itself will be your demise." I glared at her.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, my anger now overpowering my fear, though just barely. She smiled wickedly at me, and her eyes flashed briefly. A pair of red eyes appeared in a passageway on the far side of the cavern. A figure stepped forward, with messy blue hair and a bandana-

I gasped. It was Luke.

He stared blankly at me with red, glowing eyes that matched the Witch Princess', and, I noticed, so did Phantom's. I looked down and noticed that my necklace was glowing once again as well. I started to puzzle over this before I was interrupted by the Witch Princess.

"Let me help you figure this out," she said, as if talking to a small child. "I've had this planned since a long time ago." She frowned angrily. "Since you decided that you would join the Goddess' side and help save her and her precious Sprites. Not to mention you killed my cat." She paused, glaring at me. "You could have avoided all this by just joining my side. But no, instead you come here and start trying to save the Goddess _again?_ Can't you see that she's unfit to rule anyway? She can't even manage her own affairs without mortal help, and yet you people continue to worship her!" She threw her arms in the air exasperatedly. "And to think that things were going well here, too. The people were abusing the resources and the island was dying, and you come along and motivate everyone into helping you bring back the rainbows and all that. How disgusting." I blinked at her, confused. She knew about that? That had happened a long time ago. Why hadn't she acted before?

"In any case," she continued. "I'm back now, and I'm ready for my revenge. And I'm not going anywhere until I get it. And neither are you, by the way." She thought for a moment, a smug smile spreading across her pale face. "As a matter of fact, you won't be leaving at all." She gestured to the black… _thing_ that was now where the mouth of the cave used to be. I glanced at Luke, whose eyes were still shining and who still hadn't moved, though now he was frowning slightly.

"So why go through all the trouble of stealing my horse, huh?" I asked, crossing my arms and trying to sound confident, hoping I didn't sound as scared as I felt. She laughed.

"You stupid, silly girl," she said, a triumphant grin on her lips. "My plan started much before that. You remember when you were given that amulet, don't you?" I pulled the amulet out of my shirt and started fondling it subconsciously, chewing nervously on my lip. "Well, that attaches your physical being to that creature over there." She pointed a perfectly manicured finger at my horse, whose eyes had faded back to brown now, and I snarled in return. "Whatever happens to it happens to you. For example…" With a sharp movement of her hand, she caused a large cut to appear across Phantom's flank, and his scream joined with my own, piercing the air and echoing around the cave. I felt the cut slice painfully across my side, but when I looked down at where I felt it should've been, there was no blood, no cut, no anything. I looked back up to my horse. Blood oozed out his flank where the shallow cut had sliced his skin and I looked at the Witch Princess in horror. Luke, who was now out of his trance-like state, gave her a look similar to mine, but she paid no attention to him. I did the first thing I could think of; I tried to get the amulet off. The Witch Princess laughed.

"No use, girl," she said. "That's magically bound to you. I had Lukey here give it to you so I could attach you to your horse, and I went ahead and attached him to me. This way I wouldn't have to worry about him being disobedient later. Isn't that right, Lukey?" Their eyes flashed red at the same time, and Luke bowed, murmuring something along the lines of "yes, master". As she said, I was unable to get the amulet off of my neck. I'd have to figure out another way out of this, or die trying.

Though as it was, the latter seemed more likely. I could only think of one thing to do, which was stroking her big ego.

"But why would you do all that when you could've just killed me?" I asked, pretending that I was completely beaten. If I could get her to go on a rant, then I would be able to have more time to think…

"You are so stupid! Must I explain everything?" she asked, though she smiled and had a gleam in her eye. Bingo. "If I got Lukey here to give you the amulet to attach you to your horse, then before you bought the farm, so to speak, you would get to feel a plethora of horrible emotions, which always makes death much more fun, don't you think?" I glared at her, and she laughed. "You'd get to feel betrayed, knowing that your best friend turned on you, and grief, because guess who gets to kick the bucket before you do?" She smiled and made another sharp gesture at my horse, and another slice of red appeared against his black coat. I hissed in pain and he screamed again. He struggled to get away, but whatever it was that was holding him to the wall was too strong for him. I figured that it must've been magically reinforced to keep an animal so strong in place, and that was just another thing I'd have to find out how to take care of later. Right now I had to worry about getting us out of there alive, and that wasn't going so well for me right now.

"Right, so you get to watch your animal suffer and die, and then you die full of grief. Don't you love happy endings?" Another flick of the wrist, and Phantom's front legs gave out from underneath him, gashes appearing on each. I stumbled and fell with a grunt, tears coming to my eyes. I had to think of something…

I grabbed a rock from the floor on the mine while the Witch Princess laughed triumphantly. I chucked it at her the hardest I could and it hit her square in the nose. I expected to hear a crunch from a broken nose, but all I heard was a dull thud, and the rock fell to the floor. My captor now stood over me looking rather angry.

"You think I can be hurt by a rock? How naïve," she said, though she didn't look entirely too happy about being hit in the face with a rock. My side and legs now stung, and a glance at my horse showed me that sweat was dripping into his wounds. It was making things increasingly uncomfortable, and I started to cry, realizing that I'd been defeated.

"Why?" I wailed, taking my head in my hands. "You won't get away with this. They'll know that you killed me. Chase and Bo are probably outside right now. You can't kill all of them without looking suspicious."

"Because, girl," the Witch Princess said impatiently. "I can cover up my tracks so easily. I can have Luke say he found the horse in the woods, mauled by a bear or something, and I can easily make sure someone else finds you in the river, having killed yourself, seeing as you were so wrought with despair when your horse disappeared. As for the other two…" She shrugged. "Wiping memories is easy. And besides, there's another way out of the cave, idiot. You didn't think I'd trap myself here, did you? And with Luke under my control, I can destroy all of the work you did to save the Goddess. All I have to do is have him chop down the new tree you planted. Or whatever. You don't have to worry about that. You'll be dead." A wave of pain came over me as she waved her hand sharply again, cutting through Phantom's stomach. I looked at Luke, who was now standing sadly nearby. I assumed that she couldn't keep control of him and attack my horse at the same time, but he wouldn't make eye contact, so I was on my own. I bowed my head, and I heard the Witch Princess laugh again before sending another cut across my horse's side, sending me reeling backwards.

Then I saw something that scared me more than the Witch Princess herself.

Luke was holding his axe up above his head. Didn't he know that 'mortal' weapons wouldn't kill her? He'd just be condemning himself to death as well. Another wave of pain hit me before I could say anything, and a scream of agony escaped my lips, creating an odd harmony with Phantom's screaming. All I could think was how sorry I was to Phantom, that he'd been dragged into this for something that had happened before he was born…

It's not like I'd meant to kill her cat, after all. I didn't know that it was hiding underneath the logs I'd been trying to cut…

The image of the cat, sliced in half by my axe, had haunted my nightmares for years. I'd managed to push it out of my mind for the most part, but one can't completely forget about something so utterly horrifying…

I closed my eyes and screamed in pain and desperation, tears streaming down my face. I felt another cut, this one across my face, and Phantom screeched as well. One thing was for sure; the Witch Princess wasn't kidding when she'd said she was going to cause me pain…

I figured that, if I was going to die, I may as well go down fighting. I forced myself to stand up, and I glared at the Witch Princess defiantly. However, my look turned to that of shock and fear when I saw Luke spin the head of his axe around and finally bring it down-

Right into his own stomach.

"Luke!" I cried, and the whole room was a chorus of screams; from me, from Luke, and from the Witch Princess. She clutched at her own stomach in pain before turning to face Luke.

"Stupid mortal!" she spat. "What have you done?" Luke fell over onto his side and coughed up some blood, the broad head of the axe protruding from his stomach. A pool of blood started to form around him, and my attention turned back to the Witch Princess, who was making an advance on Luke. I ran toward her and tackled her, and we both fell to the floor in a heap. She lashed out at me, scratching my face with her long nails, and we rolled around the floor trying to pin each other down, and eventually I came out on top. Looking frustrated, she flicked her wrist at Phantom, and a short, shallow cut appeared on his shoulder. He flinched at it, but didn't scream as he had with the others, and then he sagged against the things binding him to the wall, breathing heavily and sweating profusely, apparently worn out. I felt it as well, though it felt like nothing more than a pressure against my skin. She was too weak to cause any major damage anymore, and she started breathing heavier and heavier, but continued to struggle against me. Apparently she couldn't end her connection with Luke, though whether it was because the attachment was permanent or she was too weak to I couldn't really say…

Thinking of Luke, I scrambled up and ran over to where he still lay wheezing on the floor, leaving the Witch Princess where she lay. I sat near his head and eased it into my lap, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from Luke. He started coughing immediately after, specks of red joining the air that came out. He rolled over onto his back after his coughing fit and looked up at me, his amber eyes exhausted and full of regret and pain. I started to cry when I saw the gory wound in his stomach with the axe still stuck in it.

I looked up and saw the Witch Princess struggling to stand, but she couldn't, and collapsed back on the ground with a scream of pure agony and anger. I ignored her and turned my attention back to Luke, who had also begun to cry.

"Angie, I…" he muttered, before coughing up some more blood. I merely held his head in my lap, stroking his blue hair silently. "I love you." I sobbed, but bit my lip and nodded. He wheezed a little more before fresh tears trailed down his pallid cheeks. "I… I'm sorry." With that, he let out a ragged breath and closed his eyes, his head turning slightly as he released his muscles. I cried harder.

"Sorry for what?" I asked. Luke said nothing. "…Luke? Luke!" I sobbed even harder, unable to control myself, and I just hugged Luke to my chest. I was vaguely aware of some movement in the room, but I couldn't focus on it, not now. My sobbing died down for a moment, and I kissed Luke on the forehead before hugging him against me again.

"He really did love you, you know." I turned to see the Witch Princess, lying on the floor where I'd left her breathing shallowly with half lidded eyes. "It's why I could convince him to give you the necklace. I told him he could win you back with presents, and that I'd help him get you back." She scowled, her breathing slowing down. "Mortals… I never did understand them. I still can't believe-" she had to pause to take a shaky breath- "that he used my magical attachment against me. I never even thought of it." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "It really sucks to be attached to things, people or animals. They only bring you pain, in the end…" She shuddered, and then lay perfectly still. I watched as her eyes, so full of malice only minutes before, glazed over, emotionless… lifeless.

I noticed the barrier at the mouth of the cave fade away with its creator, and Chase looked up at the newly-reopened mouth of the unused mine, apparently having been there for some time. He came running into the dimness of the cave, unable to see for a moment, before spotting me, two corpses lying nearby. He hesitated only for a moment before rushing over to me and kneeling beside me, embracing me in a tight hug.

"Dear Goddess, are you alright?" he said. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak, and I cried into Chase's chest. After a moment he let me go and looked at my horse, which was currently leaning against the wall, even though there were no bonds holding him there anymore. Blood leaked from his cuts, and I could still feel their sting, though only faintly. Chase knelt down and grimaced at the ugly, gaping wound in Luke's stomach, and then looked at the seemingly unscathed body of the Witch Princess before checking it for a pulse, frowning the entire time.

I looked down at Luke again. He looked almost peaceful, as if his last words had taken a heavy burden from his conscience. As if apologizing to me gave him the go ahead to die. I bit back another sob as I looked at his recumbent form, wondering why he would ever think he needed to apologize to me.

I never did find out…


	13. Chapter 13

For a few weeks after Luke died, I wouldn't go into town. I stayed in Caramel Lake District, mostly, and I went to the Goddess Spring every night. I thought that there were more people than usual lurking around the District, but they never spoke to me or made eye contact with me. Most people avoided me like the plague. Which was fine, because I didn't talk to anyone anyway. Not even Chase, and he hardly left my house for anything except to go to work. He talked to me, even though I wouldn't answer, and he took care of me. Now I think that, if he hadn't, I probably would've just withered away, and no one would have missed me…

When Chase left to go to work every day, I went to the Goddess Spring and I prayed. I apologized for all the damage I'd caused and that Luke's soul would rest in peace. I usually spent hours up there, praying and crying and then dragging myself back to my house, only to sit and do absolutely nothing once I got there.

I went to the funeral, and, as I'd predicted, no one said anything to me. They avoided me, sometimes giving me odd looks after noticing that I looked shrunken and pale, but no one said anything. Chase brought me straight back home and tried to get me to eat or to talk to him, but I just picked at my food and stared into space, as always.

Finally Chase managed to get me to talk after some policemen arrived from the city, investigating the deaths of Luke and the Witch Princess. At first I wouldn't talk, but then Chase told me that they were going to arrest me if I didn't offer an explanation so I told them exactly what happened. They were skeptical at first, but after examining my horse and the Witch Princess' body (Luke had obviously killed himself, and all of the evidence had proven it), they finally stopped trying to arrest me. Then I went back to not talking.

It was around then, I think, that I started going crazy. I was always haunted by images of Luke, the Witch Princess, and their deaths, no matter what I was doing. So, not only did I not talk to anyone, but I started to paint. And everything I painted was morbid; my horse torn to shreds by the Princess' magic; the cat I had accidentally cut clean in half; Luke's intestines spilling out of his damaged body…

Chase saw one day, and he threw up. He also put all the paintings under my bed, where he wouldn't have to look at them. I found it vaguely comical in my distorted state of mind, but I stopped for his sake.

Then I got sick, predictably, from not eating or sleeping. That was when things really got bad.

I suppose Chase didn't notice that I was actually sick, because, well, I acted pretty much the same, at first, except I laid down a lot more often. My brain was even more tortured by my memories and my own imagination, and one day after Chase left I actually wretched the meager contents of my stomach out, the effort leaving my abdomen muscles sore. When Chase got back I screamed, thinking he was something out of my twisted mind, until he finally convinced me it'd be ok. He noticed that I had a fever and asked me if I felt alright, to which I shook my head, and he said he'd call the doctor in the morning. Though that thought didn't comfort me any, I wasn't talking, nor was I in the mood to argue.

By the time Chase woke up, though, I was hyperventilating and running a very high fever, and I hadn't been able to sleep all night. He said something to me, but whatever it was just made my ears pound, and I offered a whimper in response. I thought I heard him curse to himself before he jumped out of bed and scrambled with my very old fashioned telephone to call the doctor. I fell asleep out of exhaustion while Chase was still on the phone.

---

I dreamt about the Harvest Goddess. I had dreamt about her before, but this time she wore a frown instead of her pleasant smile that was characteristic of her. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at me with disapproval written in her very stance. I was very confused, but at least in my dreams I couldn't feel the burning heat and pain that came with whatever virus it was that I'd caught.

"So even though someone else gave their life so that you may live," she started. "You've taken it upon yourself to kill yourself?" I looked quizzically at her for a moment, but she continued before I could protest. "You don't eat, you don't talk to people, you really don't want to see the doctor- if it weren't for Chase right now, you'd probably have rotted away already." I frowned.

"I still feel bad about Luke…" I started, only to be cut off.

"He apologized, didn't he?" she said. I looked at her in shock. She knew what he'd apologized for – well, of course she did – but was it for killing himself? Or was it for something else? I was about to ask, but then she continued ranting in an irritated manner. "He's practically dying all over again seeing you do this to yourself. Can't you hear him?" I listened, and at first I heard nothing, but then, faintly, I heard screaming. I felt the blood leave my face as I frowned, knowing exactly what it was. And then it grew louder and louder; Luke, screaming as he should have when he drove the axe into his own body. I covered my ears with my hands, thinking that the shriek sounded inhuman and not wanting to hear anymore, but it seemed to resonate in my head. I squeezed my eyes shut and heard the Harvest Goddess conclude her point. "Live your life Angela, or you'll have killed him twice." And then I couldn't take it anymore and I started to scream with him.

"Angie!" Chase yelled, ripping me back to the real world. Not that I doubted that I'd actually had that conversation with the Harvest Goddess, because I was sure that I did, but still. "Angie are you alright?"

"Chase," I rasped, my voice straining from disuse. I coughed a little to clear my throat. "Chase, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" He seemed puzzled as I hugged him, continuing to apologize and crying and such, and he helped me sit up and we waited for the doctor.

Jin finally arrived, nervously glancing around the house like something would jump out and kill him, and then tried to figure out what kind of sickness I had, eventually just telling me it was just 'one of those bugs that go around'. We paid him and he gave me some medication to bring down my fever, and then he left.

"Doctors are all just a bunch of rip-offs," I mumbled, feeling exhausted. Chase looked at me, startled to hear me speak I guess, and then he laughed. I muttered something about being serious, and he finally brought himself to stop laughing for a moment.

"Welcome back," he said, then kissed my forehead. I looked at him quizzically as he walked into the kitchen, and then I plopped back down on the bed, my head pounding. I may have come back to myself after talking to the Harvest Goddess, but I was still sick.

"Thanks," I mumbled, if somewhat sarcastically, even though Chase couldn't hear me. Then I smiled, because, despite my aching head and my dripping sarcasm, I _was_ glad to be myself again.

---

**Author's Note: **Alright, so I don't really like this chapter that much because it seems kind of rushed to me, but I thought it'd be important to include the grieving period for Angela. I'd say that there's one chapter left, and then the epilogue. Thanks to everyone who's kept up with this, I love you all. XD


	14. Chapter 14

"You're feeling better, huh?" I laughed as my horse nudged me with his oversized nose. I rubbed his head for a second before he started munching at the grass I was sitting on as if there wasn't any more right under his feet. I shook my head and scooted back to lean against the nearby tree. It was now early Spring, and it was already warm enough for plants to be flourishing again. I was glad that I'd be able to make more money now, and Phantom and my other animals were glad to be able to go outside and eat grass. Phantom contentedly munched on the grass where I'd been sitting and proceeded to leave me to my thoughts. I closed my eyes and began to think.

I had recovered from my sickness a week or so before, though I'd lost a lot of weight from being unable to eat. Recently I'd began eating like a garbage disposal, much to Chase's pleasure. Though he'd left my house after I was able to take care of myself again, moving back into his own, though he visited often. I spent my days taking care of the farm, fixing it back up after my lack of attention. I was glad it had been Winter, because if I'd chosen any other time to sulk around, I would've lost a lot of money on crops. I worked hard at getting my life back together and earning everyone's trust back. I worked part-time at the bar, where I was (somewhat surprisingly) welcomed back whole-heartedly by Yolanda, and I got to talk to some of the regulars again. I also spent more time in the mines, and therefore at the blacksmith's, becoming friendly with Owen and Chloe and even Julius once again. It took me a few weeks, but by the time Spring had rolled around, I had regained the trust of everyone in town. Well, except for Gill, but he never really liked me in the first place.

Most of all, though, I realized how lonely I was without Chase around.

As a matter of fact, I almost never stopped thinking about Chase. Even when I was doing something with someone else, he was always in the back of my mind. I frowned, thinking this, my stomach fluttering just thinking about him. I thought about how easy it was for him to make me feel awkward, and how easy it was for him to make me blush. Was I just easily embarrassed or was he just good like that? It was probably the former… I knew that I was slightly mental, sometimes, and I'd have to remember to do something nice for him for putting up with me.

"There's no need for that. I quite enjoy it, actually," a voice said, startling me. I opened my eyes to see Chase standing over me, smiling with a mischievous glint in his eyes. I should really learn not to think out loud…

"Hi, Chase," I said, blushing. "… how much of that did you hear?" I started fidgeting with my shirt as I waited for his answer. He laughed.

"Only the part about you being mental. Which you're not, by the way," he added, offering a hand to help me up. I smiled and took it, pulling myself to my feet.

"What brings you out here today?" I asked. It was midmorning on Sunday, so most of the town was at church. I obviously believed in the Goddess, but I didn't feel like I had to go to church to acknowledge the fact. It was between me and her, after all. I wondered briefly if Chase believed in the Goddess before he continued talking.

"Just wanted to take you on a date, seeing as it's such a beautiful day outside," Chase said, smiling. "How's a picnic under Alan's tree sound?" I nodded, blushing as usual. "Come on, I'll make the food." He grabbed my hand, making me think about how _I_ had calloused hands while his were smooth and, well, feminine. It was so backwards! In any case, he led me into my house and asked me what I wanted to eat.

"Surprise me," I said. His eyes sparkled, and I wasn't entirely sure I should've said that. "… I'm going to get ready." I glanced at him once as he turned away, and then I gathered up some clothes and took a shower. By the time I came back out, Chase had already packed our lunch in a picnic basket, though where he'd gotten it I had no clue. He sat in my chair, dressed almost exactly like he had been at the Firefly Festival. So was I, actually, and I chuckled to myself for a moment upon noticing this.

"Where did you…?" I asked, smiling, gesturing at his clothes and the picnic basket. He smiled.

"I'm magic," he said, trying to sound mysterious. I stared at him blankly for a moment. Then, realizing that he probably shouldn't have said that, considering all that had happened, he grimaced. "Sorry, Ange… didn't mean to-"

"It's fine," I said, waving it off. "When are we leaving, exactly?"

"Now, if you want," he said, standing. "And, by the way, I left some stuff here when I was staying with you. That's where it came from. Except this." He gestured at the basket. I waited for him to continue, but he didn't elaborate so I just followed him out the door in thoughtful silence.

"Have you ever met Alan?" I asked after we settled down under Alan's tree. Chase raised an eyebrow at me skeptically.

"No…" he said. He watched me for a moment to see if I was serious, which I was, but I decided that we'd be better off if I pretended I wasn't, so I laughed like it was a joke. After all, I didn't want to have to explain the existence of a harvest sprite that lived in a flower. Though, I thought, he probably didn't live there anymore now that the Goddess was back. Chase shook his head. "You _are_ a tad mental…" he said. I grinned at him before taking a bite out of my sandwich, only to start spitting it out again. Was that… a feather? What, had Chase forgotten to pluck and cook the turkey before putting it on my sandwich? I looked inside my sandwich to find that there was indeed a feather inside. I froze, though, once I laid my eyes on it.

It was _blue. _

I carefully slid the slightly-bit-into feather out of my sandwich, noting that Chase hadn't put mayonnaise (or much of anything) on it, probably to keep from harming the delicate feather. I turned it in my hand in wonder, looking at it in disbelief. I glanced over at Chase, who was pretty red faced by now, and he smiled nervously at me.

"Angie," he said quietly, taking my free hand and kissing it. "I love you. Will you marry me?" I stared at him in shock, and then looked back and forth between him and the blue feather. He wanted to marry… me? I couldn't believe it. Who in their right mind would want to spend the rest of his life with me?

"Are you… are you sure?" I asked, still stunned. He gave me an incredulous look.

"Of course I'm-" Chase started, but I kissed him, cutting him off mid-sentence. How rude of me.

"Yes, Chase, I'd love to!" I said, pulling away. His face brightened.

"Are you sure? I mean, all I can do is cook," he said. Now it was my turn to stare at him, unbelieving, before I laughed.

"That's a good thing! I can't cook!" I said.

"Don't underestimate yourself. You cook better than Maya." Chase cringed just thinking about Maya's horrid cooking and I laughed. "But seriously… you will?"

"Yes, Chase, yes!" I laughed, and he kissed me. When he pulled away, his smile was so big that I thought his face would split in two. I leaned against him, turning the feather in my hands some more before laughing at the method he used to propose to me. Of course it would have to do with food…

But I wasn't complaining. I would get to live with the person I loved for the rest of my days. I had never been this happy in my entire life! I was finally getting married! I would have to call Jill… couldn't forget to invite her. After all, hers was the only family I had left. _Well_, I supposed, looking up at Chase and smiling. _Not anymore. _

---

**Author's Note: **The end! There's an epilogue, in case you were wondering. I hope you all liked it. Reviews appreciated as always! Thanks for reading!


	15. Epilogue

The woman approached the spring reverently, as she always had. She walked slowly to the spot right in front of the spring where she knelt down and bowed her head, her eyes closed.

"Goddess," she began, somewhat quietly. "I know I haven't been here in a while. I've been really busy, but I'm sure you know about that." She smiled slightly. "I wanted to thank you… for everything. You have truly blessed me, though sometimes I'm not sure I deserve it." She paused, thinking. "Please tell Luke that I miss him. I think I understand now why he apologized before he died. But it's not my place to forgive him for such a thing. Tell him… tell him I'm sorry for what happened. I didn't mean for any of it… and tell him that I still wear the pendant. I'm sure he'd be happy to know it.

"Thank you again for everything, Goddess. I'll try and visit more often." The girl remained where she was for a moment before standing. She didn't move, but instead looked over the spring, admiring its beauty even though she'd been there many, many times before. Especially one winter six years ago…

"Mommy! Mommy!" a child said, running up to the woman from behind. He was about as high as her knee, perhaps a little taller, and had light brown hair. He looked up at his mother with violet eyes, genuinely happy to have found her. He hugged her leg and grabbed her hand. "Daddy! I found Mommy!" he yelled. A man appeared from the same direction the boy had, though he was panting from the climb.

"I don't know how you manage to hike up that mountain so much," he said breathlessly to his wife. She smiled lovingly at him in response.

"C'mon, c'mon! I wanna ride the horsey!" the boy said, jumping up and down excitedly. His father looked exasperated, not liking the idea of having to climb down the mountain so soon. He ran a hand through his strawberry blonde hair and sighed.

"Only if it's alright with Mommy," he said, forcing a smile. His wife stifled a laugh.

"Can I, Mommy? Can I?" the boy pleaded. His mother smiled.

"Of course you can," she said. "Let's go right now so we can be done before it gets dark."

"Yay!" the kid squealed happily before running off down the path. Both parents looked after him for a moment before the man sighed.

"He's such a handful," he said. Then he turned and looked at the spring for a moment before kissing his wife on the forehead. "Shall we go before he hurts himself?" he suggested. The woman nodded.

"Luke! Wait for Mommy and Daddy!" the woman said beginning to chase after her son.

"Pah, all this talking in third person… chasing around an obnoxiously loud kid… it really gets to me sometimes, Ange," the man said. He shook his head, smiling despite his words. She looked over her shoulder at him and gave him a huge grin before gesturing for him to follow. He sighed, looked back at the spring, and then ran after them.

A few minutes after the family left, two figures appeared, hovering over the spring. One was a very tall woman with long green hair and a flowing dress that seemed to move with a life of its own; the other a man with blue hair, a bandana, and an axe, wearing a shark's tooth around his neck.

"Well wouldya look at that!" the man said, leaning on his axe, though it didn't touch the ground as they floated above the spring. "She named her kid after me!" The woman next to him looked at him for a moment before looking ahead at the path again.

"She finally understood…" the Harvest Goddess said. Luke looked up at her nervously.

"Uh-huh…" Luke said, waiting for her to continue.

"That means you can pass to the afterlife now. You won't be tied here anymore… you can finally meet your mother again." Luke paused, looking torn for a moment. He knew that once he went, there would be no coming back. He'd never see Angie again. Well, at least, not for a while, yet. He frowned, thinking. After a minute or so he looked up decisively.

"Alright. I'm ready." The Harvest Goddess smiled and gestured with her hand, and a beautiful rainbow appeared, leading up over the mountain from the spring. Luke studied it for a second, hesitating, before nodding. It was time that he left this world and stopped wishing for things he couldn't have. She was happy, and that was all that mattered. He started to climb the rainbow and then stopped and looked at the Harvest Goddess, who had been watching with a pleasant smile on her face.

"Yes, Luke?" she asked.

"Thank you, Goddess. For everything." With that, he walked up the rainbow, and the Goddess watched until he passed into the world beyond. Once he was out of sight, she gestured again and the rainbow disappeared. Then she started to laugh. He'd used the same words that Angie had…

Shaking her head, the Goddess slowly began to fade, returning to her own realm, leaving the spring in silence once again.


End file.
